LearningWorks Celebrates 24 Graduates from YouthBuild
On Thursday, June 22, 2023, LearningWorks hosted its annual YouthBuild graduation ceremony at Deering Oaks Park in Portland. Twenty-four students celebrated their successful completion of the program in one of the largest graduation ceremonies in recent years. Graduates represented three different cohorts from the 2022-2023 program cycle. YouthBuild is an alternative high school and job […]
LearningWorks’ YouthBuild receives $1.38 million federal grant
LearningWorks’ YouthBuild program has been awarded a $1.38 million grant through the U.S. Department of Labor.
Governor Janet Mills Featured Speaker at LearningWorks YouthBuild Graduation
Our LearningWorks YouthBuild (LWYB) program graduated 24 students on August 12, 2021 at the Deering Oaks Park Amphitheater in Portland, ME. LWYB serves teens and young adults who have struggled to find their way in the traditional education system. Since 1994, the program has helped young people aged 16-24 who need an alternative to traditional […]
Sara Gideon Donates $10k to LearningWorks
Former Speaker of the House and candidate for US Senate, Sara Gideon announced $757,000 in donations of leftover campaign funds to 21 Maine nonprofits, a total of $1.1 million since the end of her U.S. Senate campaign. Sara said, “During my time as Speaker and on my Senate campaign, I had the opportunity to see […]
Brighter Days Story: Justin from LearningWorks YouthBuild
When Justin was in elementary school, he and his family left Maine and moved to the Bronx. “I had a couple of friends, but I’ve always been the observer — quiet and walking behind everyone else – watching and listening.” School in a big city was tough for Justin — he remembers being bullied, often […]
Virtual Event!: Opportunities for Maine’s High School Students in the Time of COVID
Do you want to learn more about how Maine’s high school students are being impacted by the pandemic? Are you interested to know how your community is adapting? Please join the staff of LearningWorks and our special guest speakers to learn how Southern Maine nonprofits and local schools are helping students get to graduation day […]
Portland Press Herald: Youth Building Alternative program students celebrate graduation
On September 2, 2020, The Portland Press Herald covered this summer’s socially distanced Youth Building Alternative’s graduation ceremony in their School Notebook section.
Victoria Morrill
Victoria (Tori) Morrill joined the LearningWorks team in 2014. She currently serves as the Academic Program Coordinator of Youth Building Alternatives (YBA). However, if you ask her or the young adults in the program, Tori is their “Vice Principal.” Tori graduated from UMaine Farmington, where she earned a degree in Elementary Education. Before joining the […]
Lesley MacVane
By seeing our students as they truly are and sharing their stories with the world, Lesley helped amplify our mission and make it visible in the community. It’s not easy to share compelling information about young people struggling in the traditional education system, but Lesley made it possible. She brought in countless friends, family, and supporters to see what she saw – hope, safety, support, and possibility – and created a community of donors, volunteers, and staff at LearningWorks that we will benefit from indefinitely. Thank you, Lesley, for all you have done to make LearningWorks what it is today.
Julie Stone
“There is something refreshing about working with this group of young adults. Many of the students have overcome some of the greatest challenges and barriers, yet they continue to shine and overcome their obstacles.”