YouthBuild, a nonprofit organization that champions opportunity youth, unveiled new global branding for the first time since its inception in 1978. YouthBuild’s new visual identity was designed to reflect the breadth and depth of its work and unify its nearly 300 programs around the world. Coinciding with the rebrand, YouthBuild introduced a new website (YouthBuild.org) to further support this network and strategically define what makes its global movement unique.
With generous financial support from the Schultz Family Foundation, the rebrand includes a new logo, flexibility for YouthBuild programs to incorporate the new branding into unique local contexts, and comprehensive messaging – including refined mission and vision statements – to unite and strengthen the YouthBuild movement.
“Opportunity youth are strong and resilient – and it is their time to learn, to work, to serve, and to lead,” said John Valverde, president and CEO of YouthBuild USA. “Our global rebrand keeps our young people and the programs that support them front and center, and it positions us for ongoing success as we stand with them. After more than 40 years of building brighter futures for our young people, I am so grateful for this fresh start that stays true to our roots while carrying us forward into a brand-new era.”
Worldwide, more than 350 million young people between the ages of 16 to 24 lack pathways to work, training, or school. These youth are too often characterized by their struggles with unemployment, poverty and crime, rather than by their potential. With love and respect, YouthBuild partners with opportunity youth to build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood, and leadership. Responding to the urgent need for knowledge, training and opportunity, YouthBuild primarily serves young people who lack a high school diploma and financial resources.
“All young people have unlimited potential and deserve an opportunity to thrive in our communities,” said Sheri Schultz, chair of the Schultz Family Foundation. “Systemic inequities and the effects of intergenerational poverty have created hardships beyond imagination. YouthBuild’s rebrand brings together the unifying values and programs that are critical to connecting these deserving young people to meaningful opportunities and financial stability.”
YouthBuild USA is the nonprofit support center for a global network of 290 local YouthBuild programs in 18 countries, with 233 programs in 46 U.S. states and territories and 57 programs in 17 other countries. Its international division, YouthBuild International, supports local partners to design and implement YouthBuild programs that respond to the challenges faced by opportunity youth around the world.
As part of its next phase as an organization, YouthBuild USA has also recently moved its headquarters from Somerville to Roxbury, a neighborhood within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The organization’s new home is located at a brand-new social services hub that is a unique public-private joint venture between Horizons for Homeless Children and WaterMark Development.
