YouthBuild engages young people in study, training, and work that fosters an ethic of service, provides opportunities to practice leadership roles, and teaches the responsibilities of citizenship.

Leadership competencies are an integral part of each student’s Individual Development Plan, and the academic and technical training curricula. The entire model aims to inspire young leaders to take greater responsibility to make things go right in their own lives, in their program, in their families and in their communities.

Students practice leadership, team building and management, communication and conflict resolution skills, while studying the wider social, political and economic forces at work in society, affecting their lives, and the lives of their peers and families. They come to understand the rationale and origin of priorities driving community development decisions. They demonstrate their own capacity and efficacy, by building local community assets that have been identified as a top priority by community leadership. They combat negative stereotypes by demonstrating their own responsibility and productivity. Their efforts generate social capital by bringing them in direct contact with beneficiaries of their work, local leaders, employers and other citizens.

YouthBuild USA implements one of the largest service learning projects in the U.S. with students logging millions of hours in community revitalization. Youth empowerment and leadership development are central to YouthBuild, with the purpose of supporting personal change and social change simultaneously. In Serbia, YouthBuild partnered on a project designed to cultivate the leadership potential of youth through social action and civic engagement. In South Africa, YouthBuild is assisting  the Umsobomvu Youth Fund in meeting National Youth Service program goals. YouthBuild's own graduates have incorporated NGOs in Uganda and Sudan. And YouthBuild USA's Blueprint for Democracy facilitated a unique national voter registration drive in 2004.