Justice in a society can be measured by the willingness of its citizenry to defend the rights of all its people. In our society, the disenfranchisement of young people of color continues to grow. Substandard educational opportunities and facilities, high rates of incarceration, extreme poverty, and the lack of employment opportunities are overwhelming barriers to an equitable and just future. These factors, when coupled with the COVID-19 crisis and the current disorder in our cities, may give our students reason to be more anxious and less purposeful.

We want our young people to know that we care, and that we have always cared. Their health and well-being is of great concern to us. YouthBuild Boston was founded on the belief that young people, when treated as the valuable resource that they are, can play a leadership role in strengthening their communities. By empowering you with the skills and education necessary to improve the quality of your lives, we can impact our students’ growth and the stability of their neighborhoods.

Too often, youth programming focuses on assessing a young person’s deficiencies, and takes actions to correct these weaknesses. YouthBuild Boston’s approach focuses on defining an individual’s assets, and builds on these strengths to enable that individual to navigate a pathway to a meaningful livelihood. Our objective is to connect young people to their peers, family and community in a positive and supportive way.

We have sent condolences to the Floyd family, and we, individually, have contributed to Black Lives Matter, Black Visions Collective, and NAACP Legal Fund. However, our focus as a Board and Staff is on you, our students. We support you. We want to help you, because you are the future. You are the leaders to come, and it is our privilege to help you accomplish this future through your work and study here at YouthBuild Boston.

We will never abdicate our responsibility to provide young people with the opportunities to reach their full potential.

With More Commitment Than Ever,

The Staff and Board of Directors at YouthBuild Boston