Harambee

What Is Harambee Youth Training?

Harambee is a Swahili word which means "let's pull together!" Harambee Youth Training has its roots in a small ministry of New City Fellowship Church (NCF), which began in 1996 to give job training and mentoring to a few young men. Today, Harambee has grown into a separate 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which partners with many other local churches, businesses, and organizations. We use a combination of volunteer community service projects and classroom training to give at-risk urban youth an opportunity to learn a healthy work ethic, self-discipline, confidence, and team dynamics as well as profitable skills in the construction trades.

Harambee is a part of our commitment to the West End and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods of Saint Louis city. Since 1996, teens from these neighborhoods have worked in connection with NCF in landscaping, general property maintenance, roofing and light construction (painting,tuckpointing & framing). Today our sole concentration is in tuckpointing. Many of the young people who participate with Harambee are also connected to Restore St. Louis through other ministries like Firm Foundation Tutoring.

Harambee's Programs

Harambee has grown significantly over the years, enabling us to not only mentor more youth than ever through our summer program (90+ in 2010) but also to continue to work with up to 30 of those teens throughout the school year in our after-school program. The opportunity has become available in the last few years to work on the homes of elderly and disadvantaged neighborhood residents for free. In addition, these longtime community residents are able to build meaningful relationships with the youth who are rebuilding their homes.

Summer Program

For several weeks each summer, teens from several St. Louis neighborhoods come together to learn tuckpointing, teamwork, and a biblical work ethic. The young people are divided into several crews with 3 adult crew leaders to train and mentor them as they volunteer on the homes of others in the community.

Harambee hires a temporary full-time staff of 15-20 adults each summer to help run the volunteer projects and mentor the youth. In addition, participants are given the opportunity to earn a "back-to-school" stipend by attending life skills classes each day. All this is covered by funds raised from partnering individuals, corporations, and local government agencies.

Information and applications for our annual summer program are available in the downloads section from the beginning of January each year until the deadline, February 28th. If you have any questions about youth participation or homeowner eligibility, please contact Michelle Johnson at (314) 726-4988 x251.

After-School Program

The purpose of the after-school program is to allow some of our summer participants to continue to learn the basic life skills needed to become responsible adults and grow and improve in both their personal and professional relationships.

At the end of the summer program, the crew leaders evaluate the participants and make recommendations for those who are good candidates to receive further training throughout the school year. Only 30 participants are given this special opportunity each year, with many more students on the waiting list.

The after-school program operates for a total of 24 weeks throughout the school year, divided into two 12-week sessions. The young people continue to improve their tuckpointing skills by working on the homes of community residents who are eligible for free work. During the winter months when it is too cold to tuckpoint, the youth provide basement grouting for homeowners and some even spend time indoors learning the art of bricklaying. As with the summer program, participants are given the opportunity to earn an educational stipend by attending weekly life skills courses.

Topics covered in the Basic Life Skills Course:
Owning and maintaining automobiles, banking, building good credit, understanding authority structures, dealing constructively with conflict, writing résumés and cover letters, interviewing, budgeting, living healthy lives, and stewardship of resources.

There are no applications for the after-school program since participants are chosen by crew leaders and staff at the end of the summer program.

Production Crew

For those young adults who have graduated out of our teen programs but show real potential in the masonry trades, we offer employment on a production crew for professional-level jobs. In additional to tuckpointing, these young adults are striving toward personal goals such as attaining a GED, purchasing an automobile, and learning what it takes to be successful in a business. By hiring Harambee Tuckpointing, our clients are supporting and bringing dignity to a group of young adults who are making a serious commitment to become the men and women God created them to be.

To obtain an estimate for your home from Harambee Tuckpointing, please call Michael Pirrie at (314) 726-4988 x252.

How You Can Help

Cash Donations

The educational stipends paid to the youth participants, the materials and equipment used for volunteer community service projects, and the wages and salaries of our crew leaders and support staff make this ministry an ambitious one to properly fund. We need the monetary resources of individuals and corporations to leverage the funding we receive from local government agencies.

Other Donations

We can also use donations of tools & equipment, materials, gently-used 15-passenger vans, and other items. Our "wish list" varies at different times of the year, so please call us to find out our current needs.

Volunteer Opportunities

Your time is a valuable resource that you can share with Harambee. We would love for you to come join us by working alongside our youth and young adults on the homes of community residents.

Prayer Requests

The most important way you can help Harambee is to pray! Pray for the young people, that they would know and understand in their hearts how much God loves them and allow Him to work in their lives so that they can become the men and women He created them to be. Also pray for our staff as we mentor, teach, and love these young people God has given us.

Downloads

Note: All document downloads require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
 >> Click here to download this free program.

Staff & Contact Information

Harambee Main Line: (314) 726-4988

Executive Director: Aaron Henning, (314) 726-4988 x225
Director of Operations: Michael Pirrie, (314) 726-4988 x252
Director of Training: Lester Badenoch, (314) 726-4988 x224
Administrator: Carrie Jones, (314) 726-4988 x231

Youth Programs Coordinator: Michelle Johnson, (314) 726-4988 x251

Production Crew Leader: Chucc Jackson

Funding Statement

Harambee's training programs are funded in part through grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the St. Louis Community Development Administration, and the St. Louis Affordable Housing Commission through the support of 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey L. Boyd, 26th Ward Alderman Frank Williamson, 1st Ward Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe, 18th Ward Alderman Terry Kennedy and 19th Ward Alderwoman Marlene Davis.

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