YouthBuild Boston shares
workforce development and green building
strategies with Liberian delegation.

Roxbury, MA, June 13, 2008 – In the past week, YouthBuild Boston staff and students met three times with a delegation sent to Boston by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia. The delegation came to Boston charged with collecting information that will boost workforce development and education efforts in their country, as it emerges from 14 years of civil war. The University of Massachusetts’ Dr. Edmund Beard coordinated the visit.

The delegation and YouthBuild Boston first met during an info session at the State House, arranged by Rep. Byron Rushing, during which the delegation met with organizations that address similar issues in the U.S. Realizing the potential for working together, two of the delegates met again with YouthBuild Boston, touring the organization's Roxbury headquarters for a firsthand look. Although the groups have very different stories, they recognized that they also share many aspirations and struggles. The discussions brought out a few key ways in which YouthBuild Boston will be able to lend support:

1. Green technologies – Green building technologies that YouthBuild Boston currently uses —specifically green roofs and photovoltaic panels—are not widely used in rebuilding efforts currently underway in Liberia. YouthBuild Boston will provide detailed manuals and guidance to Liberian vocational ed. programs, in order to provide technologies that can be advantageous in Liberia's climate. These technologies will also help graduates of these programs as they enter the workforce.
2. Computer access – YouthBuild Boston currently rebuilds used computers to sell back to the community at a low cost, in order to bridge a technology gap in underserved areas. Liberia's Cuttington University currently has just 26 computers to serve more than 1,500 students and 100 staff. YouthBuild Boston is committed to sending a shipment of computers to the delegates' institutions in Liberia.
3. Policy-related consulting and job placement – YouthBuild Boston has been successful in their efforts to petition lawmakers to enact regulations that encourage apprenticeships and mandate hiring of local residents for construction jobs. They have also developed relationships with industry leaders in order to provide professional development and jobs for our graduates. They will provide support and share strategies in these areas with Liberian organizations.
   

INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED:

• Dr. Edmund Beard - Director, Center for Democracy and Development at UMass Boston's McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies
• State Rep. Byron Rushing
• Kenneth G. Smith - Executive Director, YouthBuild Boston
• Greg Mumford - Deputy Director, YouthBuild Boston
  
  LIBERIAN DELEGATION:
• Mr. Mulbah S. Jackollie - Principal, Booker T. Washington Institute. (Head of Delegation)
• Ms. Vida H. Bracewell - Comptroller, YMCA of Liberia.
• Ms. Tomaa Davis - Special Assistant to the Minister of Youth and Sports
• Ms. Charlotte Evangelynn Kaicora - Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, Providence Baptist Church
• Ms. Musu Sharon Kardamie - Chair, Concerned Women of Liberia Association.
• Mr. Francis N. Maweah - Chairman, Department of Rural Development, Cuttington University

About YouthBuild Boston
YouthBuild Boston improves opportunities for underserved urban youth by teaching them academic and vocational skills to support themselves so they can bring about positive, lasting change in their communities.

YouthBuild Boston media contact:
Andrew Padilla
617.445.8887 x15
apadilla@ybboston.org