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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The Illinois YouthBuild Coalition was founded by | ||||||
| 3 | former President Kerry Knodle in 1996; the following year, the | ||||||
| 4 | coalition advocated for the passage of the Illinois YouthBuild | ||||||
| 5 | Act by the General Assembly, creating a mechanism for | ||||||
| 6 | launching and funding programs; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, The Illinois YouthBuild Coalition (IYC) is | ||||||
| 8 | supported by YouthBuild USA; the coalition is comprised of 16 | ||||||
| 9 | YouthBuild programs in Illinois, which include other | ||||||
| 10 | youth-serving organizations with similar purposes; the 16 | ||||||
| 11 | individual program affiliates currently involved with IYC are | ||||||
| 12 | in Aurora, Bloomington, Champaign, Chicago Heights, Decatur, | ||||||
| 13 | East St. Louis, Godfrey, North Chicago, Rockford, Rock Island, | ||||||
| 14 | Waukegan, and Chicago; all member organizations of the | ||||||
| 15 | coalition operate their YouthBuild program according to the | ||||||
| 16 | YouthBuild Model; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, The Illinois YouthBuild Coalition is dedicated to | ||||||
| 18 | expanding employment and career opportunities for socially and | ||||||
| 19 | economically disadvantaged young adults by advocating for an | ||||||
| 20 | increase of quality resources and community involvement; it | ||||||
| 21 | partners with opportunity youth to build a safe, secure, and | ||||||
| 22 | supportive force for change in the larger community; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, YouthBuild programs serve low-income young people | ||||||
| 2 | ages 16 to 24 who have barriers to success, which may include | ||||||
| 3 | foster care, homelessness, and juvenile justice; these young | ||||||
| 4 | people are traditionally known as disenfranchised, | ||||||
| 5 | marginalized, at risk, and disconnected; they are too often | ||||||
| 6 | defined by the struggles they face both socially and | ||||||
| 7 | economically; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, YouthBuild believes that the goals, dreams, and | ||||||
| 9 | aspirations of every young person are real; these young people | ||||||
| 10 | should be seen for who they really are, and they should receive | ||||||
| 11 | support; every young person deserves the opportunity to | ||||||
| 12 | develop their untapped potential; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, YouthBuild is a youth and community development | ||||||
| 14 | program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing | ||||||
| 15 | low-income communities, including housing, education, | ||||||
| 16 | employment, crime prevention, and youth leadership | ||||||
| 17 | development; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, Because of the YouthBuild programs in Illinois, | ||||||
| 19 | low-income young people ages 16 to 24 can work toward their GED | ||||||
| 20 | or high school diploma while learning the skills of the | ||||||
| 21 | construction industry through hands-on construction | ||||||
| 22 | activities; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The Illinois YouthBuild Coalition will be holding | ||||||
| 2 | its annual advocacy day at the State Capitol on April 17, 2024; | ||||||
| 3 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 5 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 6 | we recognize the work of Illinois YouthBuild Coalition | ||||||
| 7 | President Tameka Wilson, the various staff members, and the 16 | ||||||
| 8 | State-wide YouthBuild directors and salute them on IYC Day at | ||||||
| 9 | the Illinois State Capitol; and be it further | ||||||
| 10 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 11 | presented to the Illinois YouthBuild Coalition as a symbol of | ||||||
| 12 | our respect and esteem. | ||||||