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As Schenectady house grows, so do its builders

YouthBuild students learn job skills, life skills while constructing Land Bank home

November 7, 2017

By John Cropley,  Gazette Reporter

The YouthBuild Schenectady program usually splits its students between classroom and worksite.

But on Monday it doubled up on the construction crew, trying to speed installation of a windproof outer layer on the house they’re building on Prospect Street.

The students wouldn’t beat the cold front that settled over the area Monday — the temperature dropped 6 degrees in one hour as they sprayed foam insulation into cracks and crevices — but they will have it enclosed soon enough that they can work inside for the winter.

“It won’t be comfy but it will be away from the elements,” said Jennifer Lawrence, executive director of the Social Enterprise and Training Center, which runs the Schenectady program of YouthBuild USA. The 35-year-old organization serves about 10,000 young adults annually at 260 locations nationwide, teaching them job skills to earn a living and life skills with which to earn a job.

To read the complete article and view photos on The Daily Gazette site, click here.

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