Our impact · Since 2003
Explore our
lasting impact.
Your support adds up to lasting change. Choose a number to explore YBLC’s lifetime impact.
Every starting point matters.
Since YBLC’s beginnings, more than 1,500 young adults have found a place to learn, develop career skills, and work toward a different future.
Follow the connection
Opportunity becomes
a new direction.
Start with the need. See the response. Meet someone whose life helps tell the story.
The need
A diploma should be within reach.
of North Chicago adults age 25+ do not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
YBLC’s response
A high school diploma, with support to get there.
YouthBuild combines diploma completion with career training and practical support. Young adults can build academic confidence while preparing for the opportunities that come next.
Explore the YouthBuild program
Class of 2026The change, in one person’s life
E’Dayjia
From a diploma to a healthcare career
E’Dayjia earned her high school diploma, became an ABA Specialist, and continued pursuing healthcare studies at the College of Lake County.
Read E’Dayjia’s story- 01High school diploma
- 02ABA Specialist
- 03Further healthcare studies
The long view · Class of 2009
A first opportunity.
Years of possibility.
A recruiter’s classroom visit introduced Alvaro to wind energy. YBLC helped him prepare for the interview—and a staff member sat beside him when it was time to take that first step.
He went on to work in wind and solar, carrying the skills and work ethic he developed at YouthBuild into his career.
“They gave me a foundation for every skill I have developed since.”AlvaroExplore Alvaro’s journey
Be part of what comes next
Help the next story
take shape.
Invest in a young adult’s future, open a career door, or share your time. There is more than one way to make a lasting difference.
About the numbers and stories
Lifetime totals reflect YBLC’s cumulative organizational figures, confirmed in November 2026: 1,500+ young adults served, 12 housing units, and well over 150,000 service hours. The visualizations show quantities, not a year-by-year trend. Housing units are not the same measure as project sites, and the housing map also includes work in progress.
Community statistics describe the wider need, not YBLC participants or a before-and-after comparison. Education: 100% minus the Census estimate of 81.2% of North Chicago adults age 25+ with a high school credential (ACS 2020–2024). Workforce: Lake County’s June 2024 study estimates 11,684 disconnected young adults, or 12.07%, as of December 31, 2022. Housing: CMAP’s April 2025 profile reports 22.8% cost-burdened and 28.4% severely cost-burdened renter households (ACS 2019–2023), totaling 51.2% among households with calculable costs. Sources are linked beside each measure.
Graduate stories describe individual experiences; they do not imply the same outcome for every participant. For program results from a specific year, read our annual report.