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The Fellas Told Me So!!
I was just hanging out with Rub, Don, and Big C. We had been friends for about ten years, but I began to notice a change in them, a change for the better. When I asked them about it, and they told me about YouthBuild St. Louis/Soulard. In the past the fellas had hung out all night doing god knows what. However, after they had participated in YouthBuild for a while, I saw some dramatic changes in their behavior. They stopped hanging out all night, and they stopped doing a number of illegal things. They were changing for the better.
The fellas described their experiences in YouthBuild. They told me how supportive the administrators were; they would help one as mush as an individual was willing to help himself or herself. They also explained how the work site instructor taught them skills that they could use throughout their lives. As I listened to them, I sensed that I too could receive something from YouthBuild that I can use throughout my life such as an opportunity to obtain my GED certificate. I wanted to get it because I believed it would help me get the job I wanted.
I have wanted to be a carpenter for a long time. Once I had gone to a construction site and applied for a carpentry job. The foreman told me I needed my GED certificate to be interviewed for the job. I had dropped out of school after the tenth grade, because I didn't like school. However, at that moment I knew I'd have to do something about this gap in my life. Fortunately YouthBuild is structured in such a way that it could help me; it operates differently than other GED programs: YouthBuild's classes are smaller, so I received the one-on-one assistance and instruction that makes a big difference. Another way YouthBuild is structured differently is by the way they can help me with life skills and job readiness. YouthBuild gave me what I needed to succeed academically.
Something else I've received from YouthBuild that I can use throughout my life is the opportunity to learn construction trade skills; construction work has always appealed to me. I can remember that when I was seven years old I tried to fix a hole in my bedroom wall. I had unintentionally punched through it, and I didn't want to get into trouble. I was so proud myself when I repaired it. Every time I completed a project at YouthBuild, I got the same feeling that I got when I was seven years old. The work site training experience has given me the chance to see the whole construction world, like pouring cement, destroying things (demolition), framing walls, and hanging drywall. I can remember one time when I was given a slug hammer and told to tear down a wall. The experience was fun as well as challenging. YouthBuild has opened up my views on the construction trade and other aspects of life.
As I look back today, I wonder where I'd be if I hadn't spoken with the fellas about YouthBuild. The program has given the chance to receive my GED, acquire construction trade skill, and much more. I would tell anyone interested in attending YouthBuild that if you are trying to make a change, YouthBuild is the place to do it; give it chance!
The author is a young man who thought that all he could do was hang until the fellas told him about YouthBuild; that sparked his interest to try it, and "Ta dah!" -- he's a new man.
