This year, 300 low-income California youth will have the opportunity to become community leaders and contribute to a plan that promises to change the lives of high school dropouts across the country. The students will participate in a Knight-supported program launched by YouthBuild USA, a national organization known for helping disadvantaged young people get a GED and job skills by engaging them in community development efforts, like building affordable housing. They will also be part of the first wave of students to benefit from the replication of YouthBuild’s successful national model at the state level.

The plan for expansion was announced today at the annual California YouthBuild Coalition State Capitol Day event— Knight Foundation will provide $1.4 million to grow YouthBuild’s capacity and influence. Knight has supported YouthBuild since 2011. In that time we have not only witnessed clear results of YouthBuild‘s power to change people and communities for the better, we’ve also documented them. Related Link

“What works in engaging disadvantaged youth in civic life” on KnightBlog

In June 2012, Knight funded a study on YouthBuild’s impact, which was conducted by Tuft’s University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). It revealed that a significant number of YouthBuild graduates transform their lives, leaving behind troubled backgrounds in drugs, gangs, or homelessness. Significantly, a majority become leaders in their community—serving as church directors, public officers or youth workers and going on to become college graduates. The bottom line: YouthBuild has developed a recipe for community commitment and progress, within a group that is especially difficult to engage.

YouthBuild‘s challenge however is scaling success. While 10,000 young people take part in its basic program annually, only 100 are able to move on to their alumni leadership program, which increases their prospects for becoming positive contributors to their community.

Relying on this insight, the new plan will developa statewide version of YouthBuild‘s national program— to be piloted in California with additional leadership opportunities in the Knight community of San Jose. YouthBuild USA will engage California students around leadership conferences, modeled on the organization’s national conferences, which will allow them to influence local and state policies. The goal is to create a model that can be used in states across the country, building broad-based engagement and spurring the emergence of new leaders who help shape their communities’ future.

By Jeff Coates, strategic initiatives associate at Knight Foundation

Below: Knight’s Program Director in San Jose/Silicon Valley, Judith Kleinberg, presents at the annual California YouthBuild Coalition State Capitol Day event:

— By Jeff Coates, Knight Staff