Yayb - Youth Action Youthbuild

in 1978, dorothy stoneman, current president of opportunity youth united and our founder, asked neighborhood teens in east harlem how they would like to improve their community. they answered, “we’d rebuild the houses. we’d take empty buildings back from the drug dealers and eliminate crime.” they didn't ask anyone's permission. they just acted. those young people went on to complete the gut rehabilitation of an abandoned 4-story tenement building, which today serves as low income apartments and the site of yayb's offices and program space. this was the genesis of the youthbuild program, which later expanded its program offerings and became incorporated as youth action programs and homes, inc., in 1984, or, as it is known today, youth action youthbuild (yayb). following the first building rehabilitation project completed by young people in east harlem, the youthbuild program was replicated in five more new york city communities, and began an ongoing dissemination of its program m