Government > Departments > Youth and Workforce Services > Youth Programs

Youth Programs

Over the years, the Department has served as a leader in the community of Albany in its efforts to mobilize and allocate resources to solve youth problems and improve the quality of life for young people.  In 2003, the National League of Cities recognized the Department for its success in serving vulnerable youth. The City of Albany was one of three cities selected to serve as a model for having successfully reengaged disconnected youth through a cross systems approach.  The myriad of programs housed under the auspices of the Department of Youth and Workforce Services all contain the key elements that help young people to succeed - personal safety, structure, a sense of belonging and access to learning opportunities.

Albany YouthBuild

Albany YouthBuild is a comprehensive community development program.  The mission of YouthBuild is to provide young people with the opportunity to rebuild their communities and their own lives through a commitment to work, education, and individual and community leadership.

Albany YouthBuild is:

A community service program in which young people get to build housing for homeless and/or other low income people, providing the most valuable and visible commodity for their hard pressed communities; an alternative to school.  YouthBuild members spend 50% of their program time pursuing academic goals, which may include vocational and remedial education, high school diploma or GED diploma and preparation for higher education;
A job training and pre-apprenticeship program in which young people share the governance of their own program and participate actively in local community affairs;
A youth development program in which young people participate in counseling, peer support groups and life-planning processes that assist them in healing past hurts, overcoming negative habits and attitudes and pursing achievable goals that will establish a productive life;
A long-term mini-community in which young people make new friends committed to a positive lifestyle.
A community development program in which community organizations obtain the resources to tackle several community issues at once, strengthening their capacity to build and manage housing for their residents, educate and inspire their youth, create leadership for the future and generally take responsibility for their neighborhoods.

If you are planning for a year, plant rice.
If you are planning for a decade, plant trees.
If you are planning for a future,
Educate a person.
Old Chinese Proverb

For more information, contact Nicole Nelson, YouthBuild Coordinator at 434-5723

AmeriCorps School Success

Getting things done in New York State.  More than 59,000 people of all ages and backgrounds are helping to solve problems and strengthen communities through 188 national service projects across New York.  The Department of Youth and Workforce Services oversees School Success, an AmeriCorps program designed to train volunteers to tutor students Albany Public Schools who are identified as unable to meet the basic English Language Arts Learning Standards for their grade level.  In addition, School Success members provide students with assistance in math, science, technology and social studies.

AmeriCorps members logged in 117,422 community service hours;
5,425 books have been collected and distributed to area community service organizations;
AmeriCorps members have read to 1,689 students;
123 volunteers have been recruited and trained by AmeriCorps volunteers;
6 community forums were held for parents, teachers, students and other stakeholders.

For more information, contact Peyton Harrison at 434-5723.

Project Re-Connect

Project Re-Connect is an aftercare program that provides supervision and case management services to juveniles during the critical period following their release from incarceration, day treatment programs, and resident programs.

In conjunction with the Albany City School District, case managers work with these students to create an individualized transition plan to assist in reintegrating them back into their home communities, to ensure the commitment by the student to nonviolent behavior and community safety.  Also, helping to promote pro-social, self-sufficiency resulting in participation in school, employment, interpersonal relationships and social activities.  Programs and workshops on managing self, decision-making skills and learning enrichment skills are conducted regularly.

Project Re-Connect works closely with the staff at Harriet Gibbons School.  Although the program is only in its third year of operation, it is anticipated that the program will serve up to 40 young people up to 16 years of age.

For more information, contact Diane Parker at 434-5723.

Service Navigation System

The Department of Youth and Workforce Services created the Service Navigation System as a point of universal access for all young people in the City of Albany.  The purpose of the Service Navigation System is to create a comprehensive system of youth employment/development services that maximizes existing community resources, contributes to the overall development of youth and guides them towards becoming self-sufficient adults.

This system has three outcome objectives:

For more information, contact John Holmberg at 434-5723.