An alternative high school, YouthBuild DC PCS offers a non-traditional school environment for young people seeking to transform their lives. In an intimate, supportive environment, students take classes in English or Spanish, earn a GED, acquire the skills to be successful in college or the workplace, and navigate the transition to adulthood. And this is no mean feat: most students earn low incomes and many qualify for special education, are experiencing homelessness, speak little or no English, begin with low math and reading skills, and are parents themselves. Students alternate between the classroom, construction site (building affordable housing units), and volunteer opportunities (creating community gardens and cleaning up local rivers), with service learning forming an essential component of YBPCS' transformative process. Young people who often feel that they have nothing to offer leave YBPCS with a different perspective: “I built that,” they say. They have built even more.
Headquarters: DC-Ward 1
Where They Operate: DC-Citywide
Age Groups Served: Pre-teen/teen (12-17); Young adult (18-24)
Population(s) Served: Individuals with Disabilities; Individuals who identify as LGBTQ; Individuals living with HIV/AIDs; Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members; Men/Boys; Women/Girls; Students; Veterans/Military Families; Immigrants/Refugees; All
Awards & Recognition
n/a
Press
- Preparan a jóvenes hispanos para afrontar retos del futuro laboral en Washington, DC (VIDEO)
Thu Oct 20 2016, Mundo Hispanico
Las aulas del centro intentan reflejar fielmente el ambiente y las experiencias laborales bilingües que enfrentarÃan en la vida real.
- Students from YouthBuild Public Charter School Represent Local Opportunity Youth at YouthBuild USA AmeriCorps Conference of Young Leaders and YouthBuild USA Capitol Hill Day
Fri Mar 11 2016, www.youthbuildpcs.org
The YouthBuild USA AmeriCorps Conference of Young Leaders brought together 109 low-income young people from across the country.
- Students get face time with President Obama after White House tour
Fri Aug 6 2010, Washington Post
Some chances come along just once in a lifetime, leaving you speechless, stomach in knots, just standing there not knowing what to say.
- A change in attitude
Fri Jan 29 2010, Washington Post
Looking ahead: William Butler, who dropped out of school in sixth grade, is working on his GED now, inspired by the man in the White House.
- City First bank Honors the Latin American Youth Center and the Youthbuild Public Charter School with its Baptist Award
Fri Oct 12 2007, www.youthbuildpcs.org
City First Bank honors Latin American Youth Center and YouthBuild Public Charter School with its 2006 Baptist Community Development Award.
Budget (FY2023)
- The current budget for YouthBuild DC Public Charter School is: $3 million or higher
- $1 million to $3 million
- $500k to $1 million
- Less than $500k
Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to
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