New Building Trades Exploration Students Participate in Mental Toughness Orientation
YouthBuild Boston welcomes our new cohort of Building Trades Exploration students participating in Mental Toughness!
Above: A 2019 cohort of Mental Toughness graduates pose with their recently earned certificates. Please note that this photo was taken pre-pandemic, hence the students are not wearing masks or social distancing.
A large part of Mental Toughness includes Certification from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). NCCER is recognized by the construction industry as the national standard for training, assessment, certification, and career development. We began utilizing this valuable resource after our programs moved online due to the pandemic, and we now have a number of vocational staff who are certified to train new students under the NCCER model. This training provides a great overview of the skills our students will acquire during the course of the program - construction math, drywall, HVAC, painting, roofing, weatherization, project management, basic construction site safety, fall protection, and field safety. The NCCER certification, combined with other skills and credentials including blueprint reading, CPR/First Aid and OSHA10 allow our students to begin the program safely and confidently as valued members of our crew.
Mental Toughness is YouthBuild Boston's three-week orientation period during which new students gain a deeper understanding of the program, as well as gain a number of credentials and certifications that allow them to work onsite safely and confidently. The students also participate in a number of team building and icebreaker activities, review expectations, learn about the history of YouthBuild Boston and our service-oriented culture, and complete voter registration.
Another key element of YouthBuild Boston's Mental Toughness Orientation are the intensive lifeskills sessions which provide students with a foundation for continued learning and growth throughout their time in the Building Trades Exploration program. Our Case Managers, academic and vocational staff lead introductory sessions on topics such as community service, civic engagement, social justice, personal development, and financial literacy. Professional development activities include resume writing, mock interviews, and public speaking. These sessions allow the new students to get to know their instructors and other YouthBuild Boston staff while setting a tone of openness, trust, compassion, and respect that is carried through the program. Following Mental Toughness Orientation, many of our continued lifeskills sessions are led by outside partners providing an organic development of mentoring relationships between students and our trusted industry partners.
Above: A 2018 cohort of matriculated students pose in front of our headquarters after a day of work in the field. Please note that this photo was taken pre-pandemic, hence the students are not wearing masks or social distancing.
Once the students have graduated from Mental Toughness Orientation and are matriculated into our program, they are already well on their way towards earning their HiSET and starting a career in the building trades, or continuing their education beyond high school. Our Mental Toughness Orientation graduates understand there is still a lot of work ahead of them, but they have taken that first step and should be proud of all that they have accomplished in those first three weeks. We can't wait to celebrate with our incoming cohort after they complete orientation next week!