AUSTIN, TX – September 21 – On Monday, September 28, 2009 American YouthWorks will publicly unveil its Green Jobs Training Center, located at 1901 E. Ben White Boulevard, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a tour of the upgraded facility. The event will kick-off at 10:00 A.M.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, along with a number of Central Texas dignitaries, will join American YouthWorks for the ceremony. Following the ceremony, visitors will tour the facility to view the building retrofits first hand. Finally, Green Bank, in keeping with its vision to strengthen the Central Texas community and promote sustainability, is sponsoring a reception that will conclude the festivities.
”After working hard for more than a decade in support of this important local initiative, I am very proud to see the vision for this facility become a reality,” said Congressman Lloyd Doggett. “American YouthWorks is moving in the right direction, not only by creating a well educated ‘green collar’ workforce, but also by generating that workforce from the communities disadvantaged and high-potential youth. This organization has set a fine example I can only hope others across our great country will follow.”
The new facility, which houses American YouthWork’s award-winning Austin charter school for at-risk youth, underwent its first phase energy efficiency retrofit enabled by a $1.2 million grant from the Economic Development Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This complete building remodel is slated to enable the American YouthWorks campus to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rated building.
“This energy saving retrofit will not only dramatically reduce the energy usage of the campus, but it will also serve as a living classroom for teaching students the skills they will need to pursue green jobs,” said Melinda Wheatley, Acting CEO.“In order to give students of this redesigned facility the best “real world” training available, American YouthWorks teamed up with the Building Owners and Managers Association, Austin affiliate, (BOMA Austin) and the Austin Association of Facility and Maintenance Engineers (AAFAME) to train at-risk youths for green building management and engineering careers.”
The BOMA Austin and AAFAME partnership will provide AYW participants with leading-edge coursework designed to introduce and develop skills in building management and building engineering.
About American Youth Works
American YouthWorks is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Austin, Texas that is dedicated to empowering youth through education and green jobs training. AYW operates a public charter high school, a GED program, Casa Verde Builders, Environmental Corps and Computer Corps. American YouthWorks also offers onsite social services, including a health care clinic, parent/child development center and counseling. For more than thirty years, American YouthWorks has assisted thousands of local youth in transforming their lives through community service, education and a commitment to preserving the natural environment.
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CONTACT: Melissa Miller, Communications Director
Phone: (512) 744-1904
mmiller@americanyouthworks.org
www.americanyouthworks.org
