In 2010, Habitat for Humanity of Summit County added Youth United to its roster of community-transforming programs. The new program serves youth ages 5 to 25 by engaging them in Habitat’s mission of eliminating poverty housing in Summit County and beyond. The local chapter aims to involve youth throughout Summit County in community service while fostering teamwork among diverse groups and developing youth leaders.
By youth, for youth
Youth United is run by youth and for youth who bring young people together from all walks of life to play active roles in transforming their communities. Youth United mobilizes young people to sponsor and build a house with their local Habitat affiliate.
Through Youth United, students learn about the cycle of poverty and what they can do to help stop it. Youth United is comprised of youth from a variety of different backgrounds. The program partners with other established area youth organizations such as Working In Progress, an agency that serves at-risk and disadvantaged youth; the Spring Garden Waldorf School, an elementary and middle school with a unique educational philosophy; Life Skills Centers, an alternative GED (general education diploma) program; Imagine Community School, an elementary school that focuses on students with behavioral issues; and multiple agencies that receive summer youth employment funding.
Additionally, area high schools that require service hours such as Archbishop Hoban, Walsh Jesuit, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and St. Vincent-St. Mary also have teamed up students with Habitat for Humanity in projects that benefit the children of partner families. A partnership with UGive.org also assisted us with identifying students who wanted to do community service.
Developing leaders
The program’s steering committee offers leadership opportunities for members to gain valuable skills while filling a vital role for the program. A current partner family child battling mental illness serves on the committee and provides an insightful perspective regarding poverty housing. Youth United offers a unique way for participants to serve their communities in an ongoing, rather than short-term, basis.
Raising awareness
Similar to educational classes provided to partner family homeowners, Youth United members receive training as it relates to poverty housing. Youth are educated so they in turn can not only educate peers but also advocate against poverty housing.
In October, the Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity at the University of Akron constructed a “Shanty Town” out of cardboard boxes and spent the day educating other students about what they could do to help eliminate substandard housing in their community.
Members are responsible for planning and implementing all aspects of Youth United including fund-raising, event planning and community outreach, activities that provide opportunities to gain real-world experience in a variety of fields. Youth help organize advocacy events such as the “Shanty Towns” to raise awareness about poverty housing, as well as artistic events that showcase students' abilities while sending powerful messages of hope and change. Activities range from painting flowerpots to creating murals from hand prints to supporting Habitat’s mission and message.
Learning by doing
Helping out at the Habitat ReStore is another way youth can become involved in the Habitat mission. While on site at the ReStore, youth are able to shadow employees performing daily operational tasks associated with a retail establishment. Habitat for Humanity of Summit County partnered with Kent State University’s senior public relations students in the spring of 2010. Students formed teams and competed against their classmates to develop successful strategic marketing plans for the Summit County ReStore.
Impressive first year
In its first year, the Summit County Youth United group was the recipient of a State Farm Challenge Grant award to support the cost of construction of a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) home being built in Akron. The achievement of the local Youth United group was featured in a Habitat-wide Youth United newsletter that circulated to all 1,500 affiliates around the country.
Of all the Youth United programs, “Backyard Builds” is the most successful. The program involves youth in raising $100 for the cost of materials for a picnic table and building the table as a gift for a Habitat for Humanity partner family.
Mutually beneficial
Our Youth United chapter is committed to serving Summit County. In forming the Summit County chapter, Habitat for Humanity also serves the youth of Youth United, who come from various socio-economic, race and religious backgrounds. From our partnership with inner city youth and minorities to various faith-based youth groups, we are dedicated to serving the entire county. For the startup of the program we worked with the AmeriCorps VISTA program and were fortunate to hire Cyrus Weigand who had been the president of the Campus Chapter at Bluffton College as a student. Cyrus worked well with the goals of the program and implemented a sustainable model for the affiliate to take on when his year of service ends.
Youth interested in getting involved with Habitat for Humanity's Youth United group should visit www.hfhsummitcounty.org, or call 330-745-7734, Ext. 200.
