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Fast Living Got Me Trapped
When I first heard about YouthBuild St. Louis/Soulard, I was successfully working a job I loved and raising my five-year-old daughter, but I wanted more. As I listened to the radio ad promoting YouthBuild, I thought to myself, "YouthBuild might be what I'm looking for!" I wrote down the number and gave YouthBuild a call. I was scheduled for an appointment, and when I came in, I was tested. After I took the test, I realized that the YouthBuild is a drug-free program. That program requirement would create a big change in my life. Before I heard about YouthBuild, I was working as a cashier at Amoco. I really loved that job, but deep down in my heart, I knew that I wanted more -- better pay and a job that allowed me to feel better about myself; I just could not see myself working there for the rest of my life. After hearing about YouthBuild, I sensed that the program had a lot to offer to me.
One reason I thought YouthBuild might meet my needs was because, as a single parent, it was important to me to have a high school education. I sensed that later, as I would participate in my daughter's education, that it would be important to have a high school diploma or a GED certificate in order to help my daughter with her homework; I wanted to be there for her. Instead of saying, "Oh baby, your mom dropped out; I don't know that problem," I wanted to be able to say, "Let me show you how to do it." As I struggled through the eleventh grade, I knew that high school was not for me, but I kept trying. I made it to the twelfth grade, but then just gave up on school. The teachers weren't helping me; I couldn't understand them, so I dropped out. It was like I wanted their undivided attention, but I couldn't get it. I knew that I needed help to achieve this goal, but I was unsure where to turn for it.
Later I sought that help in another GED program, but it was not what I expected it to be; it was too laid-back. One could eat in the class, talk, and leave whenever one was ready. The program was only four hours a day, three days a week. I needed to be in a program that was more structured and would push me to attend, and that was YouthBuild. What I mean by that is the classes are much smaller than high school, and you're not required to get any credits. Their attendance policy is structured to where you're required to attend school ninety percent of the time. You also get a stipend every other week, and they also help you get into a low income apartment. Another way they're structured differently is that you can get a trade in the construction field.
A high school education is very important to me because I believe that if I don't have a high school diploma or GED certificate, others will see me as a failure. What I mean by that is that since I wouldn't have a high school diploma or GED I will not be able to accomplish nothing in life. I also believe that I needed a GED certificate in order to get a good job in life. I want to be a mortician or a barber, but in order to pursue either career I need a GED certificate. I want to be a great parent for my daughter instead of feeling like a flunky; that's why I decided to come to YouthBuild.
The support and patience that the YouthBuild staff has shown me have been the final reason that has made this program work for me. When I attended the other GED program, the staff showed me that they didn't care. They just put the book in my face, and I was on my own. At YouthBuild the teachers helped me; they "broke it down" so I could understand the material. The staff at YouthBuild is very patient, and their conduct encouraged me to succeed.
As I look back today, I wonder where I would be if I hadn't been listening to the radio that day; I might still be lost. But thanks to YouthBuild, I have a chance to get a GED certificate and have acquired construction trade skills, and more, like a scholarship to college. My advise to anyone who is lost in the world like I once was, and wants to make a change, is to give YouthBuild a try. If you're serious, drug-free, and want to learn, why not give YouthBuild a call?
The author is a twenty-four, year old woman who is working hard to better her future.
