Youth leadership development permeates all of the programs at BUILD. BUILD staff engages our youth in developing their leadership capacity so that they can realize their educational and career potential and contribute to the stability, safety and well being of our communities. Our youth enhance their leadership skills by providing community service, developing personal competencies, and learning to become peer mentors and counselors.

Core Groups, each consisting of approximately 20 youth, are maintained by Prevention and Intervention Specialists, Case Managers and the Youth Development Specialist. Prevention Specialists recruit youth in our 20 plus elementary schools while Intervention Specialists recruit youth in our 6 partner high schools. Each Core Group member is assisted to create and implement a Life Plan that identifies positive educational, career and behavior goals. The Life Plan process involves a formal contract outlining each youth's responsibilities and those of BUILD staff. Core Groups also involve parents in supporting their child's Life Plan while also educating them and other community adults around issues that put youth at risk.

In addition to Core Groups, BUILD offers the following opportunities for youth leadership development:

BUILD's Youth Council represents a cross section of our programs and service communities and is youth led, staff facilitated. Members participate in a variety of leadership development activities that include: life skills workshops; team-building experiences; life planning retreats; peace/anti-gang violence rallies; social/recreational events for younger children; community cleanups; and peer-facilitated workshops on topics such as encouraging diversity and avoiding dating violence, drugs and gangs. Council members serve as a leadership group for obtaining input on issues of concern, establishing need for information and training, and securing youth input on program evaluation, design and development. Council members survey other youth for broader input and feedback.

For more information about BUILD's Youth Council, please contact youthcouncil@buildchicago.org.

Brand BUILD is a model small business project that engages 10 young women in producing and selling beaded jewelry, with marketing and design input from staff and volunteers. The young women are offered a mentoring program that works in two ways: volunteers and staff mentor all program participants; and, more experienced students' mentor less experienced ones. Each student receives 70% of her net sales in a paycheck, agrees to have deposited 20% of her earnings in an Education Fund, and gives back 10% to the program to support the Enrichment Fund that offers activities for all Brand BUILD participants. To date, 100% of Brand BUILD alumni have graduated high school and gone on to college or vocational training.

For more information about Brand BUILD, including donations of beads, please contact Alexis Hardy.

Becoming Women helps young women to create a positive vision of the future by presenting them with alternatives to the streets, and options that demonstrate that their futures are in no way limited by their current circumstances and surroundings. Each relationship and activity allows them to learn that the streets are a dead end and that college and a meaningful career can be theirs. Through these activities, the girls also develop a peer support network that will help them to stop the cycle of abuse and violence by supporting each other's efforts to apply the new life skills and coping strategies they are learning which are necessary to function as healthy, self-sufficient and productive citizens.

For more information on Becoming Women, please contact Connie Carter.