News & Announcements

Congratulations to Jaqueline Ramirez (East LA site at LA CAUSA YouthBuild, Class of 2022) and Yoselin Reyes (Canoga Park site at RUTH YouthBuild, Class of 2022), who each won a RAPSA Courage Award scholarship for $1,000!

On February 9 – 11th, four students from our El Monte site, along with their teacher Mr. Reyes, traveled to UC Berkeley to attend the Young Worker Leadership Academy. It was a great opportunity for them to become leaders and advocates for teen labor rights and health and safety. Learn more about their time at the YWLA by clicking the link in the heading above.

We recently had a student photography contest, and we were so impressed by the photos our students submitted that we wanted to share them here. Congratulations to our first place winner, Monica Rios of our Palmdale site. Runners up were Aaliyah Johnson (Fresno site) and Jonathan Martinez (Avalon site.)

We asked students from three of our sites what their favorite part about being a student at YouthBuild Charter School of California was. Watch this video to see what they said.

Is earning your high school diploma worth the time and effort? Definitely! With a diploma, you can increase your earning potential and find more job opportunities, go to college or trade school, complete an apprenticeship and get a union job, start a business, or join the military. If you had to leave high school early and are looking for a second chance to earn your diploma, YouthBuild Charter School of California can help!

Now that the first trimester of 2022-23 has ended, we wanted to highlight the amazing T1 CAPs (Community Action Projects) that our Fresno and Palmdale sites worked on. Our Fresno students and staff worked on a Halloween Safe Night Out event, and our Palmdale students and staff put together an event called "Beautiful Struggles: Seeking Safety Together." Read to learn more about our CAP process and these featured CAP events.

For the past several years, teachers in our English Department have worked with students in their classes to assemble a collection of their poetry and writing from the year that they publish in an anthology called "In Our Own Words." The third volume was published in July 2022, and we wanted to share some excerpts.

Earlier this month, we hosted a virtual student art contest where we asked students to submit a piece of art that answered the question, "What does YouthBuild mean to you?" We posted the artwork on our Instagram and Facebook, and students, staff, and their friends and family could vote by liking the posts. Check out all 18 submissions here!

November marks National Homeless Youth Awareness and National Runaway Prevention Month. Learn more about youth homelessness and the support available for homeless students at YouthBuild Charter School of California. And join us in wearing green every Friday in November!

We are excited to introduce the YouthBuild Charter School of California graduates who were selected for the 2022 Education is Forever Scholarship, Brenda Pena-Jimenez, Samuel Reynolds Jr., Shyanne Seyler, Jazmin Miranda, Rosa Nieto, and Bridget Burton. Read their bios and learn more about their college plans by clicking the link in the heading.

Our Lennox site at SBWIB YouthBuild got a fresh new look this week. In addition to their new signage (thanks to Lorenzo at Workhorse Sign Co.), students and staff are currently working on a larger campus beautification project as part of their Trimester 1 CAP (Community Action Project.) Learn more about what they've been up to, including their recent work with Tree People.

YouthBuild Charter School of California is now enrolling for the 2022-23 school year at all 15 of our school sites. Get started by filling out an enrollment interest form today. Watch the video at the link to learn more about the services that YCSC and its YouthBuild partners offer to young people ages 16-24 who need to earn their diploma.

Our partners at Compton YouthBuild/ EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services were recently featured in an article in "The Imprint," along with Rafael Alvarado, a 2020 graduate of their construction apprentice readiness training program. Since completing Compton YouthBuild's apprenticeship readiness program in 2020, "Alvarado is now a fourth-level carpenter apprentice on his way to becoming a journeyman, where he can make $56 an hour. He’s worked on high-profile projects like an opulent hotel in downtown L.A. and a new transit line at the airport...Now, at 26, he is a newly minted homeowner."
If you or someone you know is looking for the apprenticeship readiness training needed to get a well paying union job, call Compton YouthBuild at (310) 631-2000!

This month's graduate spotlight is shining on Anthony Pinto, a 2022 graduate from our Lennox site at SBWIB YouthBuild. At YouthBuild Charter School of California, Anthony found an environment where he could thrive in school and take construction classes to prepare him for a future career in the construction and building trades. Click the heading to read more about Anthony's YouthBuild experience.

The talented recording arts students from our Moreno Valley site at Rising Stars Business Academy were hard at work in the studio this year. They debuted a new song at their 2022 Graduation Ceremony. The song was written by student Moani Slaughter and features vocals by student Jennifer Rojo and emcees Kaleb Price, James Bell, and Jennifer Rojo. We hope you'll give it a listen.