ReTRAIN’s YouthBuild program will begin to offer weatherization training and educational services to 8-10 at-risk youth this fall in Barre, Vermont. Funded through a grant from the Dept of Labor, ReTRAIN YouthBuild will protect the environment by reducing CO2 emissions from poorly insulated housing stock, train at-risk youth in fields which provide a livable wage and have a great and increasing demand for skilled workers, and expand access to energy efficiency programs, which provide substantial relief for low-income families.

This project serves two types of low-income Vermonters. First, the YouthBuild students enrolled in ReTRAIN's job development program are at-risk, high school drop-outs learning weatherization and academic skills. The second is the low-income population served by the YouthBuild Weatherization program.

ReTRAIN YouthBuild works with area high schools and VT Adult Learning to provide an opportunity for each student to graduate with their high school diploma, and in some case, with their high school class. The ten-month YouthBuild program also offers studnets job shadows/internships and interviews with the possibility of securing full-time employment with companies in the green industry.

ReTRAIN YouthBuild is an affiliate of YouthBuild USA, which has been selected as one of America’s 12 best nonprofits by a survey of nearly 3,000 nonprofit CEOs. Of special mention is YouthBuild USA’s success at working with government to bring resources into low-income communities. Also cited was YouthBuild USA’s empowerment of its broader network of affiliates around the country.

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