This post is also available in: Spanish
When life has beaten you over and over for so long, sometimes you have to find a way out. Feeling dejected and thinking there was more to life than what she currently had, Marimar Rivera, 20, walked into a local neighborhood restaurant where she found a flyer while waiting for her meal. The flyer announced the program, Youthbuild which offered a trade and an opportunity to get your GED. Having neither, Rivera, who had just recently given birth wanted to do something more for herself and her baby daughter. She contacted the program and enrolled. After nine months, Rivera graduated with a trade, a GED, and a sense that there was going to be more to her future than the drugs, welfare system, and poverty she had known. As Rivera expressed that she wanted to be “successful so that (her daughter) can follow the right foot steps”.
Rivera was born in Harrisburg, but grew up in the more dangerous neighborhoods of York County. She was raised mostly by her mother as her father was in and out of jail due to drug issues. Rivera nearly joined a gang at the age of 13, as they “were like family”, she recalls. While she attended school she found that she skipped most of her classes and was failing many of them. She saw no future for herself since she had no mentors or anyone she felt supported her. Another factor that helped motivate her to go through the program was seeing many of her friends locked up. Moving from one city to another she feels helped her get herself better situated so that she would not be surrounded by the same negative influences in which she grew up. Rivera knew that taking the “easy way out” would never be an option. She knew that working hard and getting an education is what she needed to do to further herself. Rivera strongly felt she did not want the same life for her daughter as she had been given.
By the age of 18, Rivera had moved back to Harrisburg and was working within the warehouse industry. In addition, she was living with family members and had to depend on them for her shelter and other needs. This she felt would have to change in order for her to become more independent. Rivera thought over and over how this was not the life that she wanted to live. However, with her daughter as her motivation she progressed through the program in order to succeed. Youthbuild Program Supervisor, Guillermina Rios, commends Rivera by stating, “It has been an honor to work with Marimar. She committed herself to the program and came every day and worked her to reach her goals. Anything we put in front of her she gave it 100% and even assisted fellow students along the way. She is a leading example of how when you say and believe you can you will reach your goals!”
Youthbuild is a program for young adults between 18-24 years old. The program was started at a national level to help young adults who for some reason or another did not make it in the school system, but still want to do more in their lives. These young adults may have been in and out of the foster care system or the justice system and felt lost or possibly those who have no support or positive role models in their lives. The program runs for a 9-month period from Monday thru Friday from 8am-4pm. During the program, the Youthbuild students take academic classes for two weeks working towards their GED and for two weeks they are in vocational classes learning Basic Carpentry and Construction. The program also offers life skills classes, such as: Financial Education, Career Readiness, Racial Justice, Primary Prevention, Health Life, Nutrition Education, Family Building Education, Substance Abuse Education, Leadership Development and Community Education. Youth participate in various community projects, as well as give back to their community by helping build a better future. The Youthbuild students also go out into the community to provide construction projects in homes for low-income families. The students receive support from a case manager, employment specialist, mentor, tutors, GED facilitators and vocational facilitators.
Despite the challenges of needing a babysitter for her daughter, Rivera not only went through the program, but finished with all certifications. She found that the program was not difficult, but she wanted to prove to herself that she could do it. She also wanted to prove to those who felt she would never have a future, that she could overcome her obstacles. Youthbuild allowed her to meet new people, including her mentor, Ms. Rios which she greatly enjoyed. She had moments of giving up, but when she saw the smile on her daughter’s face it pushed her to keep moving forward. Although Building and Construction would not have been her first choice to learn, she found that it was interesting and she is glad she learned the trade. The relationship she built with her fellow Youthbuild students was a positive push and support. The staff never gave her the opportunity to give up either. Getting involved with community projects such as Earth Day, multicultural festival, and other clean-up projects made Rivera feel a greater part of the overall community. Today, Rivera hopes to continue her education at Penn State, a college she feels has the esteemed reputation to allow her to pursue her future goals in business administration. Rivera lives with her fiancé and baby daughter and sees a great future in her life.