OUR STORY

YouthBuild Newark (YBN) was founded in 2002 with a simple mission: help disconnected young people - 16-to-24 years old - earn their GEDs and on-the-job experience.

Robert Clark, Founder and Executive Director, made history as the first YouthBuild graduate to found a YouthBuild program in a major city, and his visionary leadership led to years of successful community building throughout New Jersey as well as collaborations with local and national community-based organizations (CBOs).

YBN remains an innovation-driven, comprehensive youth and community development program that addresses core issues facing low-income communities: education, housing, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development.
Today, YBN continues as an education and workforce development initiative doing business as Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN), where the YouthBuild model has evolved its approach to advance a systemic impact on quality workforce development programming throughout the city, providing coaching and capacity building to local CBOs serving youth in the city.