Bi-CAP's YouthBuild program works with youth, ages 16-24 who have left the traditional school system. The program provides an opportunity for youth to spend 32 hours per week in academics, leadership development, and construction training.

YouthBuild participants spend one week in academic and leadership activities followed by an alternate week focusing on construction training. Participant responsibilities include work on high school diploma, job skills building, work experience, leadership and service learning projects. Under the service learning component, visit the remote nursing homes in Beltrami County, assisted with snow removal, and continued to maintain a 2-mile stretch of Adopt A Highway on Highway 71 north.

Bi-CAP YouthBuild has continued the existing partnership with Rural Minnesota CEP. This partnership provides the youth with additional support and resources. Other accomplishments include maintaining several transitional housing units. Voyageurs Expeditionary High School is the education partner.

• Besides working on-the-job, youth spend time in the classroom being educated on related leadership development activities such as learning the skills to conduct a presentation, getting ready for a job and service learning.
• The Youth Policy Committee works with the Program Director and Coordinator to guide the program. Together, policies are developed, issues are discussed and procedures defined.
• Youth receive a living stipend for the hours they participate in YouthBuild. Thanks to additional funding, Bi-CAP YouthBuild is able to work with 24 youth participating 32 hours a week.
• YouthBuild covers many things as a youth development program. It provides youth the opportunity to finish their education, earn some money, receive job training and gain valuable work experience while building and rehabilitating homes for their community.
• YouthBuilders work with counselors to deal with personal issues, identify and overcome barriers to succeed at school and work, provide the necessary skills for a particular job or career, and develop individually the ability to guide, direct, and influence people. YouthBuilders use the leadership development plan as a guide to follow while in the program

• Youth must be between the ages of 16 and 24 years old. Have dropped out of high school.
• Must be willing to make a 6 month commitment. 
• Must reside in Cass or Beltrami Counties.
• Youths learn carpentry/construction skills during classroom construction training and while on-the-job with a certified industrial technology teacher

• Bi-CAP YouthBuild began in 1989 as a program to provide specialized education/training and work experience for youth that were not successful in the current educational system. YouthBuild encouraged youth between ages 16 through 24 that were in danger of leaving the public school systems in both Cass and Beltrami County to join the program.
• The YouthBuild program includes an education component which requires youth to be enrolled in an alternative or GED educational program. All the youth in the program are required to work towards their high school diploma or literacy advancement. As an important objective, the parents of the youth are also encouraged to be involved in the program and there is a parent advisory committee that meets quarterly.
• A self-sufficiency counselor provides help to youth to identify and meet their social service needs.
• On-the-job training is provided as construction training. The youth have rehabilitated transitional housing in both Cass and Beltrami Counties and have built new homes for first time homebuyers.
• Ten youth were in the program when it received funding to pay federal minimum wage for 10 hours a week during the school year and 25 hours a week during the summer months. They could earn a raise of 10 cents an hour for each credit they earned for school.