South Africa — Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF),--newly reformed as the National Youth Development Agency--the Department of Housing, Habitat for Humanity, the City of Johannesburg, and the Institute for Education and Training for Industry have launched YouthBuild in Ivory Park a sprawling informal settlement where young people will build 100 houses this year. In Tshwane, young people will be trained to provide basic community counseling to strengthen mental health services. In both programs young people will study to complete secondary school. The South Africa program features youth entrepreneurship and enterprise development as a centerpiece of the training.

YouthBuild International is partnered with the American Council on Education and Central Johannesburg Further Education and Training (FET) College as part of a three year USAID funded effort to build the capacity of the FET College system to reach, engage and retain marginalized young people.

Through its partnership with streetfootballworld, YouthBuild students will be building community centers and football pitches in the run up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Mexico — Jovenes Constructores de la Communidad (JCC), the YBI partner, has built and operated programs adapted from the YouthBuild model in Mexico City and Chiapas. In nine sites, young people have worked on the historic restoration of Mexico City, hurricane reconstruction, and reforestation, building community centers and playgrounds. JCC is expanding the network to Tabasco and Oaxaca.


Guatemala/El Salvador/Nicaragua/Honduras — Youth employment training, gang prevention, and community construction are the focus of this regional program to replicate YouthBuild in these four countries. A regional partnership with Catholic Relief Services, and its local, community based partners will support a network of 14 YouthBuild. This planning and start up effort has received support from the entra21 program of the International Youth Foundation, Nokia, Inter-American Development Bank and Citigroup.

Haiti — YBI is partnered with the Education Development Center’s large-scale IDEJEN program to implement a four-site youth employment training project as part of USAID’s multi-million dollar, multi-year youth program in Haiti. Young people will work on infrastructure projects while studying basic education and entrepreneurial skills. Also, YBI provides technical assistance to the Institut National de Formation Professionnelle (INFP) in the development of vocational training curricula for marginalized youth.

Jamaica — Working with its local partner in Kingston, the St. Patrick’s Foundation, and its regional partner Catholic Relief Services, YBI is assisting in the design and implementation of adapted YouthBuild programs in three parts of Kingston.


Canada —In Manitoba, the Ministry of Education and Training operates three programs with a focus on First Nations communities and young ex-offenders. A multi-sector partnership led by Banyon Youth and George Brown College is planning to launch a YouthBuild initiative in Toronto.

Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina — YBI has a history of consulting in Serbia. Since 1999, YBI has consulted to the Open Society Institute, Ministry of Youth and Sports and the NGO sector. Through partnerships with the Institute for Sustainable Communities and Civic Initiatives YBI has provided training and technical assistance in youth program development, conflict management, youth civic engagement, and NGO management. With support from the Minister of Youth and Sport and the German Marshall Fund/Balkan Trust for Democracy, plans are currently in motion to launch a pan-Balkan network of adapted YouthBuild programs.


Scotland — The Paisley-based youth organization, Kibble, is launching an adapted YouthBuild program and constructing a YouthBuild skills training center in Scotland. Kibble is a highly regarded social enterprise NGO with over 100 years of experience working with youth in the justice system.

Israel — The Ministry of Construction and Housing has piloted a YouthBuild program in Be’re Sheva and is planning to launch additional sites in Lod. Ethnically diverse groups of YouthBuild students are gaining basic education, work skills, and counseling. Partners include four government ministries, Shatil/New Israel Fund, Adit College, Institute of National Insurance, the Builders and Developers Association, and a generous, individual, US-based donor.


Bangladesh — YBI led a research team in Bangladesh under contract with the ImagineNations Group to assess a youth training and entrepreneurship program operated by BRAC, the world’s largest NGO.

Viet Nam — YBI partnered with Plan Asia to assess and strengthen youth livelihood programs in urban centers and rural areas of Vietnam.

India — YBI partnered with Plan Asia to assess and strengthen youth livelihood programs in six Indian regions.

Sri Lanka — YBI partnered with Plan Asia to assess and strengthen youth livelihood programs in rural areas.

Timor Leste — YBI partnered with Education Development Center to design and launch a USAID employment program and is partnered with Plan Asia to assess and strengthen youth livelihood programs in rural areas.

China — YBI joined a research team in China in partnership with the ImagineNations Group to assess a youth training and entrepreneurship program operated by the All China Youth Federation.

Zambia — In partnership with the ImagineNations Group, YBI consulted on the establishment of a multi-million dollar national youth enterprise and employment fund.

Indonesia — In partnership with the ImagineNations Group, YBI consulted on the design of a World Bank-funded program to support a national youth employment and entrepreneurship.

West Bank/Gaza — YBI teamed with the Education Development Center on designing large-scale youth engagement program to provide basic employment training, civic engagement, and life skills training to Palestinian youth while they built play areas for children in 50 communities. The funder, USAID, cancelled this project in 2006 in response to the election of Hamas.

United States—  YBI’s counterpart YouthBuild USA provides support services, research, quality assurance systems, and advocacy for a network of more than 200 local YouthBuild programs serving 8000 young people each year. The U.S Department of Labor provides operating grants through an annual appropriation. The US YouthBuild program is in a multi-year expansion to 800 programs aimed at serving 50,000 young people each year.