Partnering with YouthBuild to Construct a Better Future

W. R. MEADOWS has partnered with YouthBuild, a non-profit organization that helps young people from low-income backgrounds obtain job training and education to provide valuable opportunities to at-risk youths. This partnership is aimed at providing the necessary skills to help these young people succeed in the construction industry, while also empowering them to take control of their lives and build a brighter future.

The partnership between W. R. MEADOWS and YouthBuild is part of a wider effort to address the growing skills gap in the construction industry. According to a recent study, the construction industry is facing a shortage of skilled workers, with an estimated 650,000 jobs going unfilled by 2022. This shortage is due in part to an aging workforce and a lack of interest in the construction trades among young people.

To address this challenge, W. R. MEADOWS has committed to providing special projects and guest training to young people through its partnership with YouthBuild. Our first action toward this amazing collaboration happened during this past month, where we provided supplies and specifications for a few demonstrations sets needed for our upcoming Division 7 Detailing Contractor class, led by Greg Neundorfer on March 16th, 2023. The sets where 8 feet by 6 feet, contained two windows and a door, plus z-shaped mini walls for scaled down ease of showcasing how to detail a corner. It was a huge success; the sets were made perfectly, and all the kids did an amazing job! Going forward, YouthBuild has agreed to build several upcoming demonstration walls as a way to provide valuable hands-on construction experience to their students, and Bryon Allen, one of our amazing Sales Representatives, will begin partnering as a guest teacher to provide product knowledge and some additional hands-on training. From there, we are excited to see in what other ways this partnership may grow so as to help the next generation foster a passion for building.

We believe our partnership with YouthBuild is a prime example of how businesses can work with nonprofit organizations to address important social and economic challenges and a reflection of our commitment to making a positive impact. By investing in the education and development of at-risk youths, we hope to help build a more skilled, diverse, and sustainable workforce for the future.

What Started it All

Our partnership with YouthBuild began while searching for the perfect location to host our Division 7 Detailing Contractor Class, which was designed to allow local contractors to come out and learn about and try out some of W. R. MEADOWS’ products. We toured Seattle Community College, since they have an amazing structure called “Cement Masons and Plasters Apprentice Building” that has classrooms and a large warehouse where concrete slabs are poured, making it the perfect place for hosting some hands-on training.

During the tour, YouthBuild happened to be hosting a class and after a friendly chat where we found out all about their organization and what they are trying to achieve, we saw how we both could benefit and grow from a collaboration! Going forward, YouthBuild will periodically build several demonstration sets, and we will provide supplies and guest instructors. Together, we not only are providing much-needed resources and experience to their young students, but we are also receiving a helping hand in order to grow our training class abilities.

Division 7 Detailing Contractor Class

The training itself was a huge success as well. We hosted 22 subcontractors for the day, all of which RSVP’d within the first two days of the announcement! The event ran from 9 am till 2 pm at South Seattle’s Community College; beginning with some education on how to apply and detail liquid membranes and some back-and-forth discussions. Our class then moved to the warehouse section, where our participants were able to practice what they just learned. We provided a delicious lunch for everyone back in the classroom while we gave a small presentation on applying and detailing peel and stick membranes and finished back at the warehouse to get some more hands-on time with more products.

Alex Bergeron, one of our Northern California Outside Sales Reps, traveled up to Seattle, Washington, along with Bryon Allen, to do all the hands-on training portions of the event, and Greg Neundorfer did all the education sections. In one event we were able to partner with an amazing organization AND get 11 sub-contracting companies, with 22 contractors, together to explore the abilities of our products. It was a ton of fun, and we couldn’t be happier with the end results!

Not only have the participants continued to send in thank you letters but also emails about how much they enjoyed the event, and all the W. R. MEADOWS staff that were involved said they also had a blast!

If you are interested in attending a training class, please reach out to info@wrmeadows.com

A Deeper Dive into the YouthBuild Program & Low-Income Housing Institute

The YouthBuild Program, stationed out of Seattle, is a nationally recognized program that helps low-income youths, ages 18-24, who have dropped out of high school and/or are experiencing homelessness. This evidence-based, pre-apprenticeship program goes for six months and teaches hands-on construction training and education. Participants earn a weekly stipend while learning the industry and also studying for their high school diploma or equivalent.

But this program doesn’t stop there! In turn for gaining this experience and everything else it offers; participants give back by building tiny homes for the Low-Income Housing Institute, which offers tiny home communities to low-income and/or homeless individuals in need of a little help. LIHI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable housing and support services to low-income individuals and families in Seattle.

LIHI has been working with the YouthBuild program to help build affordable housing units for the community. Through this partnership, YouthBuild participants have the opportunity to gain real-world construction experience while contributing to the creation of much-needed affordable housing in the Seattle area.