I-Build construction program empowers youth and helps the unhoused
Salem Kroc Center launches new workforce development program for youth.
"Mainstream education wasn’t working for me," said Jose Lopez, 15.
So this summer, he tried something different: I-Build, The Salvation Army Salem (Oregon) Kroc Center's new youth construction skills program. The eight-week program launched in July with 24 students from the Salem-Keizer School District, some of whom had fallen behind in school. Many attended for work experience and extra credit. The group met Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
"The biggest draw, really, was that we were offering high school credit recovery," said Kroc Center Director Tony Frazier. "As a student, you have a choice. You can go to summer school, or you could come to our program and have fun learning."
Remarkably, participants achieved perfect attendance.
"That just goes to show that when you give young people something meaningful to engage in, they're present. They show up," Frazier said.
And for Jose, the program marked a turning point.
"It helped me advocate for myself," he said.
After I-Build, he asked for, and received, permission to do online school. Once considering dropping out, he now attends daily, working online at the Kroc Center's education lounge, where kids can study on their own, receive tutoring and even work toward their GED.
In the I-Build program, students worked in teams to build 12 sheds for Church at the Park, an organization serving unhoused individuals in Marion and Polk Counties. The sheds will be converted into cottages to shelter those in need.
"Local students, building to help local community members while learning valuable skills for the future is a win for everyone in our community," said DJ Vincent, Church at the Park founding pastor and CEO.
The program's launch coincided with the arrival of new Kroc Center Corps Officers Captains Jeff and Maryellen Walters, who were able to observe early on the center's commitment to Salem's youth.
"What better way for The Salvation Army in Salem to ‘do the most good’ than by building into the future of these young people?" Jeff Walters said.
Frazier is committed to providing workforce development opportunities for youth, noting that many have chosen to opt out of both school and work. A 2023 report identified 11.2 percent of U.S. youth ages 15 to 24 as "NEETS"—Not in Education, Employment or Training—according to the International Labour Organization.
I-Build aims to reach them, providing not only construction skills but school credit recovery in English and math, community college credit, OSHA 10 workplace safety training, first aid and CPR training, WiseMind training in emotional control and decision-making and Oregon Employability Skills.
All this was possible thanks to community connections, including Alex Olsen and Mark Atkinson from Instruction Construction, who taught the kids.
Frazier developed I-Build after a request from Team Oregon Build (TOB) to help with its mission to empower youth through hands-on construction and manufacturing projects. Jim Taylor, Team Oregon Build Agency Lead, said TOB aims to merge skills training with community service to address critical housing needs and workforce development.
"The I-Build camp was a hallmark representation of the ecosystem that is TOB…youth who are building skills, building homes, supporting humans in need in their local community," Taylor said.
The Wall Street Journal reported an uptick in Gen Z youth abandoning the college path to pursue skilled trades, a 16 percent increase in vocational-based training in 2023. The number of students studying construction rose 23 percent.
Frazier said during lunchtime, employers and local dignitaries would visit and talk with the participants, encouraging them and sharing opportunities.
These visits also helped spread the word about I-Build, potentially leading to future funding. Recently, the Kroc Center received a $500,000 grant from Mountain West Center for Community Excellence for I-Build, and a new cohort began Oct. 16. Frazier said the funder recognized it as the perfect program for kids who fall through the cracks.
He recalled the funder asking him how he is able to connect so easily with the youth.
"It's love," Frazier told him. "They have to know at a visceral level that you love them, and they won’t articulate it. They’ll test it to make sure you’re real because they can spot a phony a mile away and they disconnect very quickly. If they know you love them, then you can even be hard on them. But you have to do that inside of a relationship…That is the key. It is love."
Abby Knight, 16, said I-Build gave her the confidence to look for a job.
"And I did it," she said. "I got the job."
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