Students eager to enter the workforce with new skills
Quincy, MA, September 13, 2012 – The Quincy YouthBuild / AmeriCorps Program, operated by Training Resources of America, Inc. (TRA), graduated nineteen students on Thursday evening, September 13, 2012, at Germantown Neighborhood Center, 333 Palmer Street, Quincy, MA.
The graduates, ages 17 to 25, include: Kristy Arrigal (19), Kelsey Fair (18), Gerald Fernandes (17), Thomas Finnegan (17), Maria Gomez (20), Dylan Handley (20), and Jake Peak (19) from Quincy; Luis Gonzalez (24), Marcus Jones (20), and Tahre Mims (20) from Boston; John Vibert (18) from Dorchester; Jonathan Camille (19) from Lawrence; Danielle Hinds (25) from Mattapan; Ishmial Armstrong (20), Corwin Etienne (23), and Yvens Roody Mayala (23) from Randolph; Al Hawes (19) and Paul Smollett (19) from Weymouth; and Tyriek Brown (19) from Worcester.
Quincy YouthBuild / AmeriCorps provides comprehensive training to young people ages 17 to 24 who meet low-income guidelines, are not in school, have not received a high school diploma or GED, and demonstrate a willingness to work hard for personal and community change.
Students receive instruction in GED preparation, self-esteem, life, leadership and work readiness skills, volunteer/ community service opportunities, and construction skills training utilizing a community housing rehab or new construction project which helps create quality low-income housing in Quincy and surrounding towns. Extensive support services include counseling/ case management, job development/ placement assistance, as well as transition to higher education and follow-up services.
Most of all, the program offers opportunities for personal growth and development. As graduate Kelsey Fair says, “YouthBuild Quincy changed my life. I love the staff and the opportunities they gave me. I never thought I would earn a diploma or attend a graduation. This has been the best year of my life.”
Through a partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of the South Shore, this year’ s class learned building and rehab skills by helping to convert a 2-family home located at 63 Lake Street in Weymouth to a one-family with handicap access that will be rented to a veteran and his/ her family. They also participated in a new construction project located at 45 Winter Street in Quincy.
With support from the Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) / Massachusetts Service Alliance, the program has also enabled the youth to participate in numerous community service projects, increasing their awareness of their civic responsibilities and empowering them to give back to the communities in which they live and work. It also enabled the young people to earn AmeriCorps education awards to help pay for college. Youth members were responsible for helping to recruit a total of 50 community volunteers who assisted the youth in a variety of community service projects for the Audubon Society, Prison Book Program, Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, the Germantown Neighborhood Center and Food Pantry, Old Colony Hospice Walk, and the Martin Luther King Breakfast. The youth also participated in the annual YouthBuild State House Day as well as the YouthBuild Carpentry Challenge competition and basketball tournament.
According to Michael Quigley, Program Manager, “I am confident that everything the graduates have learned in YouthBuild will guide them throughout their lives to make good decisions for themselves and their families. But the greatest impact of YouthBuild is that it has taught these youth to be role models to their peers as well as to the next generation of young people to follow them.”
Collaborating agency and government representatives, family and friends were on hand to congratulate the graduates as they celebrated their accomplishments and prepare to use their new skills in the workplace. U.S. Congressman William R. Keating, State Senator John F. Keenan, and State Representative Tackey Chan sent congratulatory certificates to the graduates for their outstanding contributions to the greater Quincy community.
