"YouthBuild Louisville Day" transcended the tried and true concept of a proclamation by the mayor and soaring speeches from important officials. Instead, this special day was brimming with life and hope - including an important groundbreaking for the first complete home that 30 YouthBuild Louisville participants will build under this new local program.

The young men and women (below, left) are between 17 and 24 years old. As the first group to be enrolled in the 1-year program, they feel a special responsibility. All expect to be part of the graduating class on December 6, 2002 - ready to face the real world with job skills, life skills, and a desire for a better life. Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong's proclamation of Monday, July 15, 2002, as "YouthBuild Louisville Day" and the events surrounding it had special meaning for them - because it was a celebration of their own future.

The "reality" keynote speaker was a young man named Ashanti Boatright (above, right), who spoke on behalf of the class. Reading from his own hand-written notes, Ashanti shared how his YouthBuild Louisville experience has changed his life. He spoke with candor and honesty, about how Youthbuild replaced years of isolation and involvement with the criminal justice system, and the real hope he and his classmates had for a brighter future.

Young men and women who enroll in YouthBuild Louisville spend half of their time in education and leadership development activities, and half in on-the-job housing construction training. A major program focus is on the development of practical life and self-sufficiency skills, completing their GED (virtually all are high school dropouts), and participating in community service-oriented learning activities. Their accomplishments by the time "Youthbuild Louisville Day" was proclaimed included successfully completing a challenging 4-hour college course - construction carpentry - from the Jefferson Technical Vocational School, and all were enrolled in an interior and exterior finish carpentry course. They also had completed a combined total of more than 12,000 hours of community service.

HUD awarded almost $400,000 last year to YouthBuild Louisville through the nonprofit corporation Young Adult Development in Action, Inc. (YADA). HUD is one of over 40 partners that support this program. YouthBuild Louisville participants and leaders were joined by federal, state and local government officials, community partners, and housing authority and educational partners to celebrate the day. They included, among others, Congresswoman Anne Northup; HUD Louisville Office Director Ben A. Cook, and Darrell Aniton of the Office of Youth Development. Pictured above are Aniton; Garrick Matthews, Darryl Barnes, Terrence Matthews, Morgana Dockery, Angel Spearman, and Phil Stepteau of the Housing Authority of Louisville; Benny Warford of the Jefferson Technical Vocation School; and Cortez Carver, Darrell Faulkner, and Dr. Rick Alleva.