“It’s amazing for him to come back and say, ‘Hey, I really don’t know what I would be doing if you guys had not taken a chance on me.’”
– Tiffiney Conaway, Job Developer, YouthBuild, speaking about program participant Aidan
Aidan, YouthBuild Participant
When Aidan found out his school’s auto mechanics program was eliminated, he felt lost. His future plans were dashed. But when Metropolitan’s YouthBuild program, which trains teens and young adults for construction careers, opened an exciting new door, Aidan walked in! He earned multiple trade certifications in record time – and gained huge confidence in himself.“
“When Aidan first started, he was very shy, very quiet,” says Tiffiney Conaway, a Job Developer for YouthBuild and Aidan’s lead mentor. “And he was so brave. He told me, ‘I struggle in some areas when it comes down to understanding certain things. And I’m going to need some help.’ And I was like, ‘No problem, Aidan. We got you.’”
Aidan shares, “I don’t like talking at all. But they were telling us every day, introduce yourself, introduce yourself … So I was like, might as well go with the flow, you know? I stepped up.” He adds that YouthBuild “wants people to have their own voices in the crowd.”
Aidan learned to participate and use construction tools. He gained trade and life skills. “We learned a lot about leadership, self-respect and respecting others,” he says. Staff also prepped Aidan for interviews. He says, “I felt like that was like a really good game changer, you know? So I don’t feel nervous.”
Aidan completed all his OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) training, and he is excited about the possibilities ahead. His YouthBuild team couldn’t be happier. “He’s gone from being the shy individual to being a leader,” Tiffiney comments. “You see his strength; you see his growth. You see the confidence he has, and that is everything to me.”
With the support of Tiffiney and the YouthBuild team, Aidan is continuing his high school education and is planning on a career in urban planning and construction management. He’s now envisioning a totally new future. Aidan is a living example of what happens when belief, hard work and support meet opportunity.
“Great things come out of the YouthBuild program. Participants get trained in using forklifts, drone flying – they get certifications that they can take with them just about anywhere. They have opportunities to be successful in those areas and get paid.”
Tiffiney Conaway, Job Developer, YouthBuild