New program seeks to build local youth

The South Carolina Regional Housing Authority #3 was awarded a $1.5 million grant by the Department of Labor to bring the Youth Build program to Barnwell and Bamberg counties.

YouthBuild is a program with an international reach focused on serving out of school youth from ages 16 to 24 who aspire to better their lives and communities through education, career development, learning transferable skills, and much more.

The program in Barnwell and Bamberg counties is called A New Direction, and the team brought together to run the program hopes it can be just that for the region’s future leaders.

“We believe that this is a life changing event, and that is where the name comes from; A New Direction to Build a Better Tomorrow. We want to help them to make a change in their lives so they can take direction,” said Melinda Hernandez, YouthBuild director.

For six months, participants will be working toward obtaining a GED, a National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) certification, becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA), becoming forklift certified, gaining an entrepreneurial mindset, learning practical skills, and eventually building affordable housing. Participants will receive a stipend during this program.

For two weeks, participants will go through mental toughness to determine if they are fit for the YouthBuild program by showing up on time, participating, and being actively engaged.

The next six to ten weeks will be understanding the NCCER construction manual, learning safety skills, and how to use the tools and equipment. For the rest of the program, participants will be on construction sites in the county building affordable housing units.

According to Hernandez, the education component of this program will take up to 60% of a participant's time whether it is working on their GED or construction training.

The grant will sustain the program for three years and aims to serve a total of 84 individuals at minimum. Although A New Direction only needs five participants to begin the six-month program, they hope to enter their first session with 21.

Interested applicants must have a form of identification to apply. The candidates considered first are those low income and/or without a GED or high school diploma. Applicants may also have an income barrier, an incarcerated parent, be an ex-offender, in the foster care system, a migrant farm worker, or be deficient in basic skills to be eligible.

“This program, A New Direction, is going to help the person develop themselves and make them a viable part of the community,” said YouthBuild Career Navigator Bartel Boone.

Two buildings were put together to create an intuitive and comfortable space that would allow participants to get the most out of the program.

Even the navy blue and deep orange painted on the walls were chosen specifically as these colors are found to promote positivity and productivity respectively in studies of color theory.

“Shanice had picked out the colors because she does color theory to make it live, bright, and visible,” said Hernandez.

Although the Ellenton St. location in Barnwell is not yet fully furnished, the dedicated team is already hard at work making a program and developing a culture that will cultivate young leaders.

“The difference between our program and other programs is going to be the culture,” said Donna Roberts, YouthBuild Success Coach. “It's not just one part of the person we’re working on, it's the whole person, because the whole person needs help.”

The workshops and events in the mental toughness portion in the first two weeks of the program will be led by Roberts with all staff involved.

This consists of team building skills, workforce development, and focusing on self awareness, according to Roberts, who plans to focus on all elements of an individual.

By “focusing on the individual and their lives, and how they interact with each other and people they work with,” Roberts hopes to change the mindset of the participants in the YouthBuild program.

“When you're working with someone to get a job there's more than one reason they don't have a job,” said Roberts, who plans to meet participants where they are at in their lives and understands what she considers to be general knowledge to some may not be the same for all.

Roberts along with the whole team plan to explain how to interact with others in spaces such as the workplace or an interview compared to at home or with friends. She also hopes to break down how to professionally incorporate entrepreneurial work into social media and how to socialize online with the future in mind.

The two-week mental toughness portion will also get participants active in nature and partaking in community service–which there is a 30-hour program requirement for.

YouthBuild ultimately wants to change how participants view themselves and show them the many opportunities within their reach with a shift of perspective, practical skills, professional guidance, and support.

“That’s what I really applaud about my team, is that they understand that each person is different and our perceptions of a person's situation does not mean that they are ready to take that particular pathway and our job is to continuous provide those opportunities toward different pathways,” said Shanice Willingham, Director of Supportive Services at SC Regional Housing Authority #3.

YouthBuild falls under the umbrella of Willingham’s programs in addition to the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) program and others.

“We want to make sure that we are always being mindful to honor everything that a young person is going to bring to the table,” said Willingham.

After the mental toughness portion is completed, participants are interviewed to determine if they are ready to move into the construction phase. If not, they can try again.

Once NCCER certified, participants will begin working on one of two construction sites on Apple Street in Barnwell or on Oak Street in Blackville.

“One of them is going to be a single-family housing unit for home ownership and the other is going to be a duplex for affordable housing rental,” said Willingham.

“The inventory of affordable housing is quite low, so what better opportunity than to help the community in terms of building up the community housing inventory as well as teach some very meaningful skills to the young people in this area,” said Willingham.

Jorge Jimenez, YouthBuild Construction Manager/Instructor, is excited to teach the next generation the skills that he has acquired throughout his career in the construction industry.

“It's a good feeling when you help somebody and you can see this person on the right track,” said Jimenez. “It's something I love to teach and train these participants.”

Jimenez will not only be guiding participants through the NCCER certification, but teach them the basic skills to the more advanced as well as be alongside them on the build sites.

“Mr. Jimenez, he is more than qualified for the work he is going to be doing,” said Willingham. “I know he will take them beyond that hammer and nail and provide that mentoring.”

Jimenez hopes to transform the warehouse on the lot into a multi-use space for participants to explore welding, plumbing, and electrical work. The YouthBuild team recognizes the value of trade skills, and hopes to open the door for anyone interested.

If a participant feels they may be more suited to a different path, they are encouraged to take the CNA track.

In their partnership with Denmark Technical College, YouthBuild participants can attend the college’s CNA program to embark on a path in healthcare.

Through YouthBuild’s involvement with the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)-- a federal program administered through the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and a part of SC Works, participants can then pursue training to obtain a patient care technician certification (PCT).

After completing YouthBuild, participants can also be directed through WIOA to aid with secondary education if desired.

These partnerships and many more were a vital part of bringing YouthBuild to Barnwell and Bamberg counties.

“One of the major pieces that was important I believe for the second application round is that we were able to really build some meaningful, intentional partnerships in the community,” said Willingham.

When Willingham first joined the S.C. Regional Housing Authority #3 almost three years ago, the organization had already applied for this grant and been denied.

She and S.C. Regional Housing Authority #3 Deputy Director Elizabeth Overton applied again, and still was not awarded the federal grant to bring YouthBuild to this region.

However, they kept trying and brought together key community partners and leaders the next time around.

"We are so excited about the opportunities that YouthBuild will bring to Barnwell and Bamberg Counties. This program will provide a variety of pathways for our youth to fill a gap within our local workforce by helping to create a strong foundation of qualified, trained workers. Our hope is through collaboration and partnerships that this program will continue to grow year after year," said Overton.

“They're such great advocates on our behalf because they are more than willing to offer whatever support they can,” said Willingham on partners like Denmark Tech, Bamberg Barnwell Adult Education, and Lower Savannah Council of Governments.

“Once they graduate, we want to make sure they are well aware of all the pathways they can pursue,” said Willingham. “We want to make sure that we are building a culture so that whichever way they fall [in a career sense] someone is there to pick them up.”

Whether that be pursuing secondary education, entering the workforce, or developing entrepreneurial aspirations, YouthBuild students will have a wealth of support in their desired path through these community partners.

Each member of the YouthBuild: A New Directions team joined it to be a part of changing the trajectory of the lives of young people and helping them reach their full potential, whatever that may be.

“God opened the door, and we just walked through,” said Hernandez, who worked with WIOA and SC Works since 2003 as a career coach, lead career coach, program manager, and then area program manager.

When the opportunity arose, Hernandez was nervous to leave her 20-year career for something just being developed. She had been working with Roberts since 2008, and Boone since 2016 at WIOA, and the three referred to themselves as the ‘dream team’ in regional workforce development.

When the grant was awarded and Willingham proposed the idea of bringing the three of them on board, she mentioned they were like a dream team in a phone conversation. This was enough of a sign to make Hernandez take the leap.

“I wanted to be able to touch lives,” said Hernandez, who felt her prior position limited her ability to do so in the way she desired.

“It’s exciting to be a part of this team,” said Jimenez, who joined in December 2022. “I can't wait until we start.”

When he moved to the U.S. from Costa Rica 37 years ago, he only planned to work here for one year and return home. However, Jimenez saw the opportunity to follow his passions in the construction industry and he hopes to do the same for YouthBuild participants.

“I love what I’m doing, I think God has us here for a reason,” said Boone, who has been working in this field since 2009 with the Employment Security Commission stationed with SC Works located at Denmark Tech at the time.

Boone questions whether he should still be in this area, but his doubts are eased when he sees the successes of past individuals he has worked with locally throughout his career.

Roberts shares a similar sentiment and can connect with youth who may want to leave Barnwell or Bamberg County because she left too.

Upon her return, she got involved with workforce development through WIOA in 2008 and after a long career felt she needed to branch out.

“I loved the job that I was doing, but the last three years… I was ready to move on,” said Roberts. As a single mother, she was worried similarly to Hernandez about leaving a long term career, but was ready to reinvigorate her passion.

“We want our young people, like my son, I want him to stay, I want him to want to stay, I want him to build a business here instead of leaving and not coming back,” said Roberts.

“I am very grateful they took that scary leap into the dark, because honestly I didn't have all the answers,” said Willingham.

YouthBuild is fairly new to the region and the implementation of this grant was a major undertaking. While up to the task, the team is still developing certain aspects to show the youth that Barnwell and Bamberg are worth building a life in.

Willingham too left Barnwell County and had plans of never returning, but wanted to be closer to family once she had her child. Her background with AmeriCorps doing youth development and capacity building led her to starting the workforce development department at S.C. Regional Housing Authority #3.

She knows what it is like to want to leave when you’re young, and hopes to be a part of the changes that make young people want to stay.

Although the program is new to the counties it serves, YouthBuild has been successfully implemented in areas across the nation.

YouthBuild was born in Harlem, N.Y. 45 years ago when founder and former president, Dorothy Stoneman, began asking the disenfranchised youth she worked with “how they would change their community if they had adult support,” according to their website.

They responded with requests to renovate the abandoned and dilapidated buildings to bring affordable housing units to their community.

These programs historically took off in larger cities, but the team at the A New Direction program is excited to make it work in a rural setting although there have been some challenges.

“We’ve been out in the community, we’ve been talking to people, we’re just not getting the response,” said Hernandez.

So far, they have received two applications and are in need of three more to get the program started. YouthBuild is also looking to become more engaged with community partners from restaurants to nonprofit organizations.

To apply, visit YouthBuild at 10984 New Ellenton St. in Barnwell, located between the SC Regional Housing Authority #3 and Barnwell Early Learning Academy from Monday to Thursday during business hours. To receive more info, call Donna Roberts at (803) 450-6508 or Bartel Boone at (803) 450-6484.

For more information about the program YouthBuild, visit https://youthbuild.org/.