American YouthWorks

A Grassroots Organization Building up Texas Youth

Words by Tejal Thakkar | Photos from American Youthworks

Working with over 500 young people across eight counties in 2023, the American YouthWorks team is making a lasting impact on the next generation.

Founded nearly 50 years ago, American YouthWorks, according to their Chief Development Officer Jonnyka Bormann, still strives to “connect young adults with equitable access to education, paid career training, and supportive services” through two primary programs: Texas Conservation Corps and YouthBuild Austin. Though American YouthWorks started and continues to operate as a grassroots organization, it now has a large reach across eight Texas and Louisiana counties. Jonnyka explains that the organization’s major focuses are on education in the areas of “conservation/disaster response and career training tracks in high demand industries, such as healthcare, manufacturing, construction, and IT media.”

Last year, 202 Texas Conservation Corps members received industry certifications, and YouthBuild Austin worked with 319 participants.

YouthBuild has had a busy few years. Jonnyka says, “[They] have grown into different operating sites and are now in Baton Rouge, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.” She is also excited about the “new training site opening soon in Taylor, Texas, that will focus on the manufacturing training track.” The organization is growing rapidly, especially coming out of the pandemic, which forced them to expand their trainings to digital platforms overnight. Jonnyka notes that the team is proud to have “continued to serve young people at that time and now even grow post-pandemic.”

For Eastsiders wanting to get involved, American YouthWorks has a number of opportunities year-round. For the YouthBuild program, the team is always looking for volunteer tutors and mentors. There are also often opportunities to volunteer on a more flexible basis during events.

“Community support and partnerships have been the foundation of all our growth. We are a super collaborative organization,” Jonnyka admits and adds, “Over the years, so many people have come together to support us and partner with us which has led to our success, so we really can’t take full credit for our accomplishments so far.”