Grace Wiley

50 StoriesHomepage StoriesLearningWorks YouthBuild
September 10, 2017

“If not for YBA, I would probably be at home doing nothing with my life,” says Grace Wiley, a current student in LearningWorks’ Youth Building Alternatives Program. A talented artist, Grace has a painting in exhibit at Regional High School Art Show at Casco Bay Artisans Fine Art Gallery in Portland.

Liz Leddy

50 StoriesHomepage StoriesLearningWorks YouthBuild
September 09, 2017

Liz Leddy’s resume is impressive. She’s a two time national Golden Gloves Champion; owner of her own hair styling business, and a personal trainer. Back in the mid-1990s, this kind of success and stability was something that seemed far beyond Liz’s reach.  After dropping out of high school, Liz found herself homeless. She struggled with […]

Wilfreid Plalum

50 StoriesLearningWorks YouthBuild
June 16, 2017

Over twenty years ago, Wilfreid Plalum found himself in the right place at the right time. He was 20 years old, and had just arrived in Maine with his family from South Sudan. “I was playing soccer with some friends across the street from LearningWorks, when two staff people stopped over and informed us of a new program at LearningWorks called Youth Building Alternatives.”