YouthBuild’s new home: Participants have literally gone back to school
By Judy Masterson jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com February 16, 2011 9:36PM
YouthBuild Lake County trainees Savannah Bush (left) of Waukegan and LaDana Givens of North Chicago talk during an open house on Wednesday at YouthBuild's new location in the former Lindbergh School in North Chicago. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
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It costs between $15,000 and $20,000 to enroll one young person in a year-long YouthBuild program. In 2009, 80 percent of enrollees in YouthBuild Lake County graduated, and 80 percent were placed in jobs within 90 days.
About 65 students are currently enrolled in YBLC’s three programs.
“We get five applications for every funded position,” said Laurel Tustison, YBLC executive director. “We now have the capicity to serve 100 young people a year, if we have the funding.”
For more information, visit: www.youthbuildlakecounty.org.
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Updated: February 17, 2011 2:16AM
Low-income young adults who receive education and training through YouthBuild Lake County have quite literally gone back to school.
Formerly housed on the grounds of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, YBLC has taken up residence in the former Lindbergh elementary school, just north of the North Chicago High School campus.
The agency on Wednesday held an open house in its new 30,000-square-foot-home at 1636 Kristan Ave. The building, which received fresh paint and other cosmetic touches from Lake Forest College volunteers and YouthBuild students, houses classrooms, offices and a computer lab. Students also built their own construction lab in the school’s basement. The lab smells of fresh wood. It holds a mock house, under construction and a tub, with plumbing exposed.
Students learn construction skills like flooring, drywall, basic electrical and plumbing, as well as weatherization. They also work together to build real homes in the community.
LaDana Givens, 18, is enrolled in the Bridge to Union program. She is determined to find a job in construction.
“I’ve learned how to read blueprint and draw one,” she told those in attendance. “I’ve learned how to read a measuring tape and wire an electrical socket. I’ve learned OSHA dos and don’ts.”
Givens, of North Chicago, said she treats every obstacle she meets as an experience so that she can offer help to someone else.
“This program is important to all of us,” she said.
The new YouthBuild home is a result of a collaboration between the agency, the city, and the school district, with support from Lake County Board members Audrey Nixon and Mary Cunningham. Nixon said she hopes to see a partnership develop between YouthBuild and North Chicago High, so that students from the high school can take some of YouthBuild’s job skills classes and certifications.
“We want to make sure all students in North Chicago are well educated,” Nixon said.
North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. declared the old Lindhbergh, largely vacant for a decade, “a perfect spot” and “more of a home” for YouthBuild staff and students. He urged the latter to “Do your best.”
“There will be obstacles and challenges that face each and every one of you,” Rockingham said. “Take the opportunities you’re offered.”
Use of the building comes at no cost to the district. YBLC, which opened eight years ago, is footing all operating costs and hopes to eventually purchase the old school.
“Our goal is to be a resource for the whole community,” said YBLC Executive Director Laurel Tustison.
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