Americorps/YouthBuild is a national initiative that involves people of all ages and backgrounds by strengthening America’s communities through service to the community. At Risk youth are tutored and mentored by adult supervisors who also assist with the members’ GED completion and their community service work through the renovation of vacant houses.

YouthBuild New Bedford is the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition’s forerunner on the process of weatherization, or making houses more energy efficient. The main clients of YouthBuild New Bedford weatherization and energy audits are low-income families. In addition, this program has pioneered a new initiative with the city of New Bedford — to provide ongoing services to the community in the form of restoration and maintenance of abandoned city lots.