Program helps young people build lives

The 13 students and their director are embracing their second chances.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A year ago Kalvin Franklin, 20, was running the streets, doing a lot of admitted "negative stuff."
"It was crazy, man. A lot of stuff," he said.
TeAndre Walden, 18, was thinking about getting a general educational development diploma, but didn't see any real options.
Erik Rageo, 21, admits he was flat out lazy, staying in bed until noon.
None worked to support themselves.
Thursday, they all graduate as members of the first YouthBuild class. Plenty of positive options await.
Plans: Franklin, of Youngstown, plans to put his concrete or painting skills to work. Walden, also of Youngstown, plans to start a four-year quest to become an electrician.
Rageo, of Campbell, is a certified asbestos removal worker and also considering electrical work as a career. He also finds himself rising every day at 6:30 a.m. -- even weekends -- as part of a newfound self-discipline.
All the students are looking at life differently today.
"It's changed me. It's turned my life," Franklin said.
Point of program: That's the point of YouthBuild, a nationwide program that combines continued education and life skills with teaching construction skills.
Youngstown's pilot program started this year with federal funding totaling $250,000 through the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority. Federal grants totaling $395,000 over two years will fund the program in 2002 and 2003.
About 100 high school dropouts ages 18 to 24 expressed interest early this year. The program started in March with 29 students, but only 13 remain today. Washouts aren't unusual, however. A similar program in Trumbull County loses about 30 percent of the students who first sign up.
It's a testament to the structure -- from being drug-free and pursuing a diploma to getting up on time and to work every day -- the students must embrace.
Franklin, Walden and Rageo say one reason they held onto their second chance is how the program's director handled them. He doesn't judge students but does hold them accountable, they said.
Maybe that's because YouthBuild Coordinator Herman Hill wants to be treated that way, too.
Four years ago, the former Youngstown 3rd Ward councilman was convicted of theft in office, a felony. Hill used a bogus receipt to cover up a cash advance he made on a city credit card.
In some ways, the roles he and the students play in YouthBuild are the same.
'Second chances': "It's about second chances. It's a second opportunity for me, for these students," Hill said. "We're kind of going through this together. It's not about what we've done. It's about what we're doing."
Hill was up front with the students about his past, which he said quickly helped them relate to him. That doesn't mean they don't need to follow the rules to revive their futures, he added.
"They need the desire and passion to change their lives. It's up to them. If they decide they want to change their lives, we'll do everything we have to," Hill said. "If they don't want to change their lives, there's nothing we can do."
A student's first few months are spent pursuing a GED and learning the basics of life and construction work.
Work time is spent improving some of the city's dilapidated homes. The housing authority owns some; nonprofit housing agencies own the others.
They are paid $6 an hour for their work plus a $15 daily stipend. There are $25 bonuses for regular attendance and $500 more for getting the GED.
The class is finishing renovations of a YMHA-owned home at 1918 Elm St. on the city's North Side.
The next phase for the graduates is continuing their education or going to work. The program will help students meet those goals, too.
Rageo and another student have passed the asbestos removal license test. Three other class members, including Franklin, missed by one point and expect to pass the next time.
The work experience has helped the students find their niches in the field, said Art Keffer, who teaches construction methods at YouthBuild and supervises the work.
He can see their futures emerging.
"A lot of these young gentlemen have a lot of potential," he said. "It shows."
rgsmith@vindy.com