Victoria’s Story

Victoria stayed home most days, dreading getting out of bed. She had no structure in place. Most days, she couldn’t find the motivation to be productive.

Like many at-risk and disadvantaged youth, Victoria also lacked the support system she needed to help her overcome difficult times. An aspiring artist, she had taken classes for about a year at Metropolitan Community College but realized she was looking for something different.

Around that time, Victoria learned about Goodwill’s YouthBuild AmeriCorps program, a national educational, leadership, development, and occupational skills-training program for young adults, ages 16 to 24. Victoria recognized that YouthBuild could be a chance to increase her employment opportunities, so she committed to the program’s nine months of construction-related training and development.

YouthBuild gave Victoria the support and structure she needed and taught her how to overcome her barriers and obstacles. She’s working to become the independent person she wants to be and exploring a range of opportunities for her future.