Blog

When YouthBuild USA wanted to seize on their staff’s desire to create transformational change and level-up their diversity, equity, and inclusion work, they partnered with YW Boston to launch a sustainable Action Plan to enhance trust, increase transparency and accountability, and create an equitable and supportive organizational culture. 

About the Organization:
YouthBuild USA is a nonprofit organization with a focus on youth empowerment. Through their work, they “partner with opportunity youth to build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood, and leadership”. At sites across the United States and around the world, students reclaim their education, gain job skills, and become leaders in their communities. 85% of the people they serve are low-income, youth of color. The YouthBuild USA office has 65 staff, and they work with more than 220 YouthBuild sites across 47 US states and territories.  

The Opportunity:
Prior to their partnership with YW Boston, YouthBuild USA had launched an Antiracism Advisory Group and held regular staff discussions on racial equity.  Among staff, there was a perception that they were ready to move past the “DEI 101” stage and delve deeper into their equity work. Many were self-educating, developing new tools but without the knowledge or support to apply those tools in the workplace. In addition, exit interviews demonstrated a need for improved racial and gender equity. Staff expressed  a strong desire to understand the experiences of the youth they serve, to contribute to transformational change in a moment of racial reckoning, and deepen the impact of their mission. 

Inspiration:
Early in the partnership, YW Boston worked with staff to understand their visions and personal hopes for this work. Examples include:  

“We become a top resource for the field of YouthBuild programs in the DEIA space and young people are developing into inclusive, equity leaders.” 
“Distributed leadership that includes more persons of color and women.” 
“A greater ability to see, hear and understand people.” 

Challenges:
Staff capacity at YouthBuild was limited, which informed their decision to bring in YW Boston. They also wanted to ensure that the outcomes from our partnership became integrated into their day-to-day work.  

Our Work Together:
YW Boston facilitated an in-depth change process with 24 YouthBuild staff, representing a range of roles, identities, and lived experiences. The process included Discovery, a series of Dialogues, Action Planning, and support with Action Plan Implementation. In addition, all YouthBuild staff engaged in a series of five workshops: Understanding Social Identity, Organizational Change for Equity, Bias & Culture, Microaggressions, and Intersectionality. Two of these workshops were facilitated before the Dialogues as a foundation, cultivating staff buy-in and support for the Action Plan.  Three workshops took place during the implementation phase, actively supporting and enhancing the process. 

Drawing from surveys and information gathered During the Dialogue Series, YouthBuild USA realized that:   

• Their policies and processes weren’t explicitly promoting equity and inclusion across hiring, promoting, fund development, and other partnerships  
• There was not enough trust for staff to feel comfortable engaging in courageous conversations, asking for what they need, and holding each other accountable. 

Action Plan:
At the conclusion of the Dialogues Series, a YW Boston and YouthBuild USA developed a comprehensive action plan, focusing on three areas: 

1. Foster courageous conversations so staff at YouthBuild will be empowered to speak their truth, ask for what they need, call each other in (with love), and hold themselves and each other accountable.
2. Create organizational transparency so staff will have a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities, and have clear paths to add value and feedback. 
3. Develop and revamp policies and procedures that provide improved support and opportunities for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) staff, and more equitable pathways to promotions. Improved support and opportunities for BIPOC staff, and more equitable pathways to promotions 

Impact:
Two years after our formal partnership concluded, YouthBuild USA has sustained momentum. “Staff are committed to making sure that DEI efforts are embedded in everything they do.” This includes making sure policies and procedures are sensitive to internal and external constituents, and being more intentional in their work.  There have also been positive shifts in the culture, with trust and transparency continuing to grow between staff and leadership.

Lessons Learned About the Work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In addition to the impact of their Action Plan, YouthBuild USA also walked away from their experience with YW Boston with some unexpected lessons, including:

• The importance of group learning – although staff had done independent DEI work, workshops enabled them to practice together, build trust, and create shared language.  
• The importance of dedicating time and capacity. From the start, YouthBuild USA recognized that capacity would be a challenge. Still, the time needed to create meaningful change was a surprise, and empowered by the CEO’s commitment, many staff stepped up to support the effort.  

To learn more about YouthBuild USA and their DEI efforts, visit their website.