Youth Program Youth Program In November of 1998, the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together Seattle, voted to launch a Youth Program. The plan was to involve high school students and young adults from the community in Rebuilding Day on April 24, 1999.
Students had been involved in collecting and donating cleaning supplies in past years, but it was felt that it was time to give young people a chance to "get their hands dirty". The decision to invite youths to join in the project was fairly simple. It was felt by the Board of Directors that the benefits for both Rebuilding Together Seattle and the youth volunteers from such a project would be countless. They were right.
A Youth Committee was organized and they set about recruiting volunteers. The eagerness which they encountered from young people interested in affecting positive change in their community was immense.
The committee managed to sign up 75 young people for Rebuilding Day from various high schools in the area. Other younger students helped by donating cleaning supplies. Rebuilding Together Seattle held training sessions before the big day to make sure the young people felt comfortable with what their responsibilities would be, come April 24th, 1999.
The project was a tremendous success. The youth volunteers arrived at the two designated "youth houses" on time and ready to work. The energy and willingness of the teenagers was boundless.
In the words of Rose Lopez, an adult Volunteer Coordinator, "I watched a group of shy almost scared youths develop skills in home maintenance and community service that gave them confidence, a sense of ownership, and pride in completing a project that made a huge difference in someone’s life."
The Youth Program hopes to increase the number of homes designated for youth volunteers as well as expanding youth involvement in the fundraising process. The benefits of the Rebuilding Together Seattle Youth Program are many. By involving students in this work, we are not only promoting the youth volunteers of today, we are also working to create the adult volunteers of tomorrow, all the while connecting the youth with homeowners in our community.
If you would like more information about getting involved in the RTS Youth Program, please contact us.
