YouthBuild Schenectady SEAT Center

SEAT Center is now accepting applications for our upcoming Culinary Training Program located at our new Culinary Lab, located at 55 Columbia Street, Albany! 🍲🍳🍴If you are 18-24 years old, reside in the City of Albany or Schenectady, and have been looking for a way to receive training while earning a stipend for living expenses, please click below to APPLY TODAY! GED Classes and industry credentials are included as part of training. https://seat.socialsolutionsportal.com/apricot-intake/84da8ac2-622b-4e9e-87aa-d51867223d12

Congratulations Rosemary! Your hard work and dedication to be the change in our community has not gone unnoticed. We thank you for all your time and effort!

Let the celebrations continue! Congratulations to Rosemary Carty from YouthBuild Schenectady SEAT Center who was chosen as their 2023 AmeriCorps Member of the Year!

We would like to congratulate this new cohort for completing Mental Toughness! Last Thursday, they had a chance to visit Foreve Farm to learn about sustainable farming methods. It was an eye opening experience for everyone. We look forward to working together to build a better future.

Our team of students and staff had a great time at our annual Thanksgiving Dinner, while other team members delivered meals to the houses of students. Family is what you make it, and we are grateful for finding family in each other. Thank you to Lauri Ballard, LMB Development Consulting, LLC, Peterson & Campoli, and Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady for your generous contributions to helping make Thanksgiving happen for our students and their loved ones. A huge thank you to Allie B's Cozy Kitchen for preparing a delicious Thanksgiving meal that nourished our bodies and our souls!

Thank you to our Marketing Director, Jermaine Wright , for making our Team Wellness Day extra special! Jermaine switched roles this week to transport our SEAT team into his culinary world, 8 Count Kitchen TM/ www.8countkitchen.com, as a Personal/Private Chef, where he curates the ultimate culinary experience for his clients. Chef Jermaine kept us informed and entertained while he demonstrated how to make “Teriyaki Taco Boats” with Sautéed Shrimp/Roasted Cauliflower and a Corn Salsa. The taco boats weren’t just super healthy, they were vibrant, packed with a ton of flavor and dressed in a finger-licking sauce! He proved that healthy food doesn’t ever have to be boring. Thank you Jermaine for blessing us with your talents. Thank you Sharon and Harley for planning such a fun filled time for our team to focus on wellness, including healthy shakes from True Juice Cafe, gratitude journals, and fun give aways. We appreciate you all!

What better way to say Happy Veteran’s Day🫡, than to see our students serving those who protected and served us for so many years?
Our new group of YouthBuild AmeriCorps members had their first group community service day today in honor of Veteran’s day. As AmeriCorps members, students complete 450 hours of service to their community and earn an Education Award at the end of their service year. Today we had the honor to serve Veterans through a breakfast planned by the Albany Housing Coalition.

From graduating the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022, to welcoming new SEAT Center students into Mental Toughness, our 2 week pre-program mental boot camp. Talk about a full circle moment🔁!

We invite you to leave some encouraging words for our new cohort of students as they go through one of the most transformative experiences of their lives🟦🟧🟩.

Ready. Set. Graduate!!!! >>> Join us for our YouthBuild graduation, recognizing the graduating classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022. This is our first graduation since the global pandemic and we're looking forward to honoring our students in traditional SEAT Center fashion!

To register, head over to www.seatcenter.org/graduation

Please join us in congratulating our students Shamiah Walker and Kayla August for receiving their Cleaning Management Institute Custodial Tech certifications.

We're extremely proud of you ladies! Thank you for always showing up, and showing out. Congratulations on a job well done!

If you or someone you know is interested in a career in cleaning, email us at [email protected] to learn more about our cleaning tech program.

"There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise." - Dorothy Dandridge

18-24 years old? Live in Schenectady? Looking to get your G.E.D and/or a job? Visit us at www.seatcenter.org/securethebag to learn more about how we help young people live their best lives!

"It's never too late to graduate!"

Know a young person in Schenectady between the ages of 18-24 looking to finish High School/find a job? If so, we invite them to stop in or visit us online at www.seatcenter.org/securethebag !

Our students on their tour of the SUNY Schenectady County Community College campus. College life looks good on them, doesn’t it, lol? 😎💯🎒📚!

Today we are reminded of our history. Juneteenth is a day of recognition, restoration and celebration. We are thankful that our students are part of a generation that continues to build a new legacy of equality, progress and action.

Please note, SEAT Center will be closed tomorrow Monday 6/20 in observance of Juneteenth. Wishing everyone a happy and safe rest of the weekend.

Our students were busy this past weekend doing quite a bit of trail work with our friends over at the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. For many of our students, this was their first hiking experience. Between the weather, the nature, and the positive energy from the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy team, we think its safe to say our students are looking forward to returning. As if that wasn't awesome enough, some of them also attended a chainsaw safety training and helped clear some fallen trees at Woodcock Preserve in Bethlehem. Our students never cease to amaze us! Thank you for always getting up, dressing up, showing up and NEVER giving up!

Our thanks to the multifaceted Crickett O'Dell for stopping by this week’s ”Employer Wednesday.” We appreciate all that you do at the Workforce Development Institute (WDI) to help push the community forward. We appreciate you sharing your story, and we thank you for encouraging our students to consider careers in the trades.

Special thanks to our friends over at for stopping by this week’s Employer Wednesday! You’re team’s journey is admirable, and we celebrate all that you have achieved. Thank you for helping our young people realize a career in cleaning and the value of transferable skills, from one industry to another!

Join us in congratulating our newly inducted Culinary Students for starting their first day of hands-on work experience at Market Bistro. We are grateful to have a supportive network of employer partners like Price Chopper Supermarkets and the amazing team over at Market Bistro. Thank you for ALLL that you do to help us prepare our students for a career in culinary!

What better way to celebrate 🌍♻️ than a park clean up 🧹at Jaylen’s Park, a BBQ🍔 and a whole lotta fun⛱?!

Our students putting in work on the job site with our friends over at ! Team work makes the dream work!

SEAT Center congratulates Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for her historic Supreme Court confirmation, serving as the first black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Congratulations Justice Jackson for leading the way for women’s representation and for making United States HERstory.

makes the ! Our students caught in action cleaning up Fairview Park in Schenectady during their Mental Toughness Physical Challenge!

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🗣Mental Toughness is underway! Drop some words of encouragement for our incoming students!

🚨ATTENTION🚨—We’ve got ”20 FREE tickets” to Sunday’s event hosted by , and we’re giving them away to (20) lucky 18-24 year olds! If you are 18-24 years old, and would like a FREE ticket, DM us on Facebook or Instagram () with your first name, last name and phone number, and we’ll be sure to have your ticket ready for you at the door! If you’re bringing a friend, we might have one for them too!

On behalf of YouthBuild Schenectady SEAT Center, and all YouthBuild programs across New York state, we offer our sincerest appreciation to Assemblyman Phil Steck, of the 110 assembly district for his continued support for the NYS YouthBuild Act. Thank you for always championing our young people, and jumping in the ring to join our fight in creating opportunity for young people in the Capital Region.

Thank you for being last week's Employer presentation and for your interest in hiring and training those of us who are just starting out on our career path.

Free opportunity for YouthBuild Schenectady SEAT Center Alumni https://actionnetwork.org/events/oyu-academy-presents-organizing-101-w-duncan-kirkwood-marlen-mendoza?source=direct_link&&link_id=5&can_id=4014e2fe72fb18af481cb4c337f1e4ad&email_referrer=email_1479840&email_subject=_-whats-new-this-march

Thank you to the team at Susan, Sara, and Chris, for coming to talk with our students during Women in Construction Week! Your wisdom, life stories, and passion for a career in this field inspired all of us.