Our Impact
For over 30-years KWEST Inc. YouthBuild has helped young people build brighter futures and stronger communities in Ulster County, NY.
Since 1994
We’ve Built
30+
Affordable homes for families in need.
We’ve Empowered
1,000+
Young people to transform their lives with education, job skills and leadership.
We’ve Volunteered
250k+
Hours of community service, making valuable contributions to Ulster County, NY.
Over the past three decades we’ve been known as Ulster YMCA YouthBuild, Ulster YouthBuild and Kingston Area YouthBuild, but our work and mission has remained the same. Today we are known as KWEST Inc. YouthBuild, operating under the umbrella of KWEST, Inc.
Different Names, Same Program
Our local program is part of a global movement…
In 1978, Dorothy Stoneman asked the young people she worked with as a teacher and organizer in East Harlem, New York, how they would change their community if they had adult support. They told her they wanted to turn the abandoned buildings in their community into affordable housing: Youth Build Affordable Housing.
From these roots in East Harlem, and through decades of network expansion, YouthBuild has continually centered the voices of opportunity youth, and remained steadfastly committed to elevating youth leadership, decision-making, and agency. We champion these young people, who are most impacted by systemic barriers to success, as the truest drivers of the solutions to the challenges they are experiencing
Global Impact
247 programs in 49 U.S. states and territories.
80 programs in 8 other countries.
36,000 + units of affordable housing and other community assets built.
52 million+ hours of service dedicated to improving urban, rural and tribal communities.
Meet Our Team
Everything we do depends on the hard work of our dedicated and talented staff.
