U.S. Sen. Edward Markey gives a thumbs up while posing with recent YouthBuild graduates Jozely Ramos, Leighana Laboy, Joshua Rosa, Hector Collazo, Chris Obara, Joshua Cardona, Reina De Jesus, Deishanet Crochiere, Joshua Cotto and Raheem Biggs.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) sat surrounded by Springfield area residents who had recently graduated from Connecticut River Valley YouthBuild, an educational and technical skills program that helps teens and young adults get on the path to a career. He listened as, one after the other, they described the struggles they had experienced, and the second chance offered through YouthBuild.
YouthBuild is a national program through the Office of Workforce Investment’s Division of Youth Services that provides people between the ages of 16 and 24, who are disconnected from school and work opportunities, with education, workforce development, and leadership skills. More than 5,000 people in 40 states have participated in the program. In December 2023, Markey sponsored the YouthBuild for the Future Act, which would provide funding to expand the program. “A vision without funding is a hallucination,” Markey said, paraphrasing a quote often attributed to Thomas Edison.
Locally, the program is part of the youth programs offered through New North Citizen’s Council, an advocacy, public and human services organization serving the Greater Springfield area. Youth Services Co-Director Isaiah Delmoral said the program had been an offshoot of the YWCA. However, three years ago, YWCA decided YouthBuild no longer fit into its organization, and New North Citizen’s Council folded it into its youth services.
At the YouthBuild in Springfield, Delmoral explained, participants take an adult educational exam and can choose one of two skills tracks — a pre-apprenticeship in construction or “allied health,” a nursing assistant program offered in partnership with Springfield Technical Community College. New North Citizen’s Council is also planning to add a culinary track to their offerings. YouthBuild participants finish their High School Diploma equivalency and learn the skills for a certificate in their chosen profession, along with life skills. Delmoral said he and Co-Director Jarix Santiago run the program for 25-30 young people each year. New North Citizen’s Council works with private organizations, businesses and MassHire to help secure employment once participants earn their certificates.
After a June 17 tour of the YouthBuild facility at 4 Birnie Ave., Markey sat down for a roundtable with Jozely Ramos, Leighana Laboy, Joshua Rosa, Hector Collazo, Chris Obara, Joshua Cardona, Reina De Jesus, Deishanet Crochiere, Joshua Cotto and Raheem Biggs. He asked the graduates how YouthBuild had impacted their lives. Biggs said he moved to Massachusetts in 2021. “Before YouthBuild, I was lost. I had no direction,” he said. He shared that the program helped him learn,“You can’t do it all by yourself.”
Crochiere shared that she lost her brother to gun violence and had a baby. Participating in YouthBuild allowed her to finish her education and begin learning the medical field. She now works as a certified nursing assistant.
Obara said YouthBuild gave him a “second chance. It gave me wisdom.” He recently became an employee with YouthBuild and at 17, has two jobs and dreams of owning a construction company.
Cordona has struggled with homelessness and said his job at firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson did not teach him any transferable skills. Having wanted to work in construction since the age of 16, Cordona jumped at the opportunity to participate in YouthBuild. He said the people there encouraged him and kept him coming back each day.
De Jesus said her partner introduced her to YouthBuild and a friend gave her the support to enter the program. When that friend died from drug use, De Jesus said she was determined to finish the program “for both of us.”
Not everyone who goes through the program stays on the career path they envisioned. Collazo recalled that he struggled academically and came to YouthBuild to study construction but is now considering becoming a train engineer. Ramos struggled in school and was in the foster care system. “I didn’t know where I was going to lay my head at night,” she said. Through YouthBuild, she graduated at age 17 and wants to go into cosmetology.
Markey asked the graduates what obstacles kept them from completing their traditional education and entering the workforce.
“Mental health is a very big struggle for my generation,” said Crochiere. She thanked YouthBuild’s mental health counselor. Collazo said, “YouthBuild really grabs your attention more than regular school because they teach you about life.” For Cardona, YouthBuild helped him build the “self-discipline” he needed to follow through on his education.
Several state and local officials joined Markey at the event, including state Sens. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) and Jacob Oliveira (D-Ludlow), Springfield School Committee Vice Chair Joesiah Gonzalez and City Councilors Melvin Edwards and Maria Perez.
Oliveira praised the graduates, “It takes that self-confidence to put yourself forward.” He asked them how the coronavirus pandemic had impacted their lives.
Rosa said being away from family and his support system “took its toll” on him. Ramos said her social anxiety worsened and while going through the YouthBuild program, she had to “force” herself to complete tasks in front of a group of people. Crochiere said that between her brother’s death during the coronavirus pandemic and struggling with remote schooling, she lost interest in traditional school and fell in with people who were a bad influence.
The graduates shared ideas about how the program could grow and improve. Obara mentioned adding social programs, while Rosa suggested expanding the career tracks to include game design. Cardona suggested offering financial literacy, which he said was not available in traditional schools. “Housing and stuff like that, I have no clue,” he said.
De Jesus said opening the program for those over age 25 would help many people. Gomez responded, sharing that the Mass Reconnect program allows residents over age 25 without a degree to attend any Massachusetts community college tuition free, “so you can graduate YouthBuild and take that certification and go on to become a [registered nurse].”
In a press release about the program, Gomez later called YouthBuild, “a beacon of hope for vulnerable youth in need of viable career alternatives to traditional education pathways.”
Edwards briefly addressed the YouthBuild graduates, saying, “I walk out of this room much more knowledgeable than when I came in.” He added, “You stack one good choice on top of another” “and our future is in good hands.”
Markey said, “When the system fails young people, they know it. The [Connecticut River Valley] YouthBuild is the model the country should think of as the laboratory. If we let young people lead us, our success is inevitable.”
While speaking with reporters after the event, Markey was asked about the housing crisis in Massachusetts. He said, “The good news is YouthBuild has already built four homes in Springfield,” with another four in the works.
Markey also commented on the July 13 attempted assassination of former President, and current Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump. “Saturday was a very sobering event for our country,” Markey said. He said that with the current political climate, “We have to make sure we’re debating the issues.” Markey said he will support the Democratic nominee for president, which he believed at the time would be President Joe Biden. Since then, Biden announced he would drop out of the race for the presidency.
