The non-profit and community-based
organization Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico (BGCPR) celebrated the first graduation of its economic mobility program: YouthBuild. Forty-two young people
between 16 and 24 years old graduated from the program. It provides educational services aimed at obtaining a fourth year of high school, job training in basic construction skills, and a component of courses and training in care for the elderly.
The event was attended by the families of the graduates and special guests from the public and private sectors, as well as the president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, members of its executive team, and staff from its 18 service centers from Mayagüez to Vieques. During the protocol activity, Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico Award was given to Yeisianys Montilla, who proved to be an example of self-improvement and effort during the program.
For more than 55 years of legacy, Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico has impacted the lives of over 90,000 children, youth, and their families, making them an important multigenerational transformation movement, not only because of its comprehensive and innovative programming but also for being a catalyst in the eradication of poverty. The president of BGCPR, Olga Ramos Carrasquillo, Esq., expressed that “important collaborators have joined our cutting-edge project, strengthening our pillars, which are three: social, educational, and economic. Today shines the result of a goal that we set in our strategic plan for the economic pillar. YouthBuild was designed with a series of modules and projects that also include leadership development, social-emotional support,
job placement, and orientation toward post-secondary studies. Tools that help young people to have economic mobility”.
YouthBuild coordinator, Jan Martínez, expressed that “during the program, we witnessed the training and academic progress of our participants who assisted the program at BGCPR centers in Aguas Buenas, Arecibo, Carolina, and San Juan. Their evolution was also reflected in the areas of leadership, their socio-emotional development, and their employability skills. Each of these areas represented a great challenge for them, which allowed them to demonstrate their abilities with a high sense of integrity, perseverance, and responsibility. We are happy to see this group of young people completing one more stage on the path they have set for themselves. The effort is a hallmark in all of them, but especially in those who not only fight for their dreams but also the future of the little
ones under their responsibility.”
For more information and program enrollment, visit www.bgcpr.org enrollment section. The program is offered at BGCPR centers in Arecibo, Aguas Buenas, Carolina, and San Juan.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico (BGCPR) YouthBuild program received a competitive fund of $1.5 million with 75% funding from the Federal Department of Labor to administer it. BGCPR and its partners provide a 25% match towards the program grant. YouthBuild is an equal opportunity program, auxiliary assistance, and its services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities