Building Futures: How NYCHA YouthBuild, CBEDC, and Sports Power Infrastructure Are Rewriting the Playbook in Brooklyn

In the heart of Brooklyn, opportunity is colliding with innovation to create a new model for youth development. The NYCHA YouthBuild Program, in collaboration with the Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (CBEDC), is transforming how young people in Brownsville and Ocean Hill access education, career training, and leadership development. This six-month program blends academic instruction with industry-recognized construction certifications and hands-on renovation of affordable housing.

Participants spend 50% of their time in GED preparation, 40% learning construction skills through classroom and site work, and 10% in leadership and career development. Along the way, they can earn up to a \$5,000 stipend and receive two years of follow-up support to ensure long-term success.

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Where Sports Meets Workforce Training

What sets this cohort apart is the integration of Sports Power Infrastructure™ (SPI). At the Greg Jackson Center, serving residents of NYCHA’s Langston Hughes development, participants complete SPI’s 5-hour workforce and supplier development training.

Through the **Sports Power Rating™**, participants run combine-style drills—the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, push-ups, and agility tests—while also being evaluated on leadership, communication, and resilience. Each leaves with a verified Sports Power Rating™ Score, a benchmark colleges, trade schools, and employers can use to assess discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. The training also sharpens budgeting, decision-making, and career navigation skills, ensuring participants develop confidence alongside capability.

By anchoring this activation in the community itself, CBEDC and SPI show that the strongest workforce pipelines grow directly from local neighborhoods.

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A Blueprint for the Future

This dual approach—combining YouthBuild’s construction training with SPI’s data-driven leadership program—prepares participants to compete not only in construction but also across manufacturing, energy, broadband, and other high-growth industries.

As one partner put it: *“We’re building more than résumés—we’re building resilience, networks, and measurable skills that give participants a multi-industry advantage.”*

Brooklyn’s YouthBuild graduates will leave with diplomas, certifications, and Sports Power Ratings™ in hand—ready to pursue careers across multiple sectors. Through CBEDC’s leadership, and with SPI as a catalyst, the NYCHA YouthBuild program is delivering more than training. It is offering a blueprint for rebuilding futures—block by block, from Langston Hughes Houses to the wider world.