 The Youth Building Alternatives Program at Learning Works offers support for young men and women who have dropped out of high school. It provides classroom instruction towards a GED and job site skill training for future employment. Leslie McVane talked with Sonny Waterman, the program's director, about the difference YBA makes in these young people's lives. Well welcome Sonny. How are you today? I'm great. How are you? I'm fine. Now we've got a graduation coming up at Learning Works. We do. On the 14th, I believe. Yeah. And where will it be held? It will be held at the Portland Public Library in the Ryan's Auditorium. And that's where it's been for the past several graduations. Absolutely. We've done that about four or five times now. Yeah. Now tell us about what the graduation means for the students in the YBA program at Learning Works. Well for these students it's recognizing quite a huge accomplishment for them. They were less than successful in their regular public high school and they have been with us, some of them over a year, some for four or five months and have completed either a GED or their packed certification, which is their vocational certification, or both. And so it's quite an accomplishment for these students to have reached this milestone and to be honored at their graduation. And when they graduate, before they can qualify to graduate, do they still have to have a portfolio of their work over the time they've been there? They do. They create a portfolio with an introduction letter that they're, as students start, they write that letter and then they write an exit interview letter or an exit essay. They also put their certificates in there. They put some of their samples of their work and some of their certificates are entered into their portfolio. I think that's a lovely requirement and it teaches a lot about organization and pride. They have pride in this portfolio that is theirs. They see the growth that they've made over the course of the time and they can go back and read the essays that they wrote at the beginning that are quite different from what they write at the end. And you have a special guest speaker for this coming graduation. We do. Governor LePage has agreed to be at our graduation and he will speak to the students and then he will actually be handing them the certificates this time. So he was very gracious to accept the invitation to come speak to our students. And I'm sure the students are really excited about it. I know he spoke at one of the community conversations a year or so ago and it had a big impact on the students because he started out in similar circumstances. So he can relate to them and they can understand his story and see the steps that he's taken to reach his milestones and his achievements. And not only will you have the governor as a guest speaker but every graduation you do have a valedictorian. One of the students. Choose a student of the year or a student of the cohort I guess you'd call it. It's not necessarily someone who has received the highest scores but someone who has really demonstrated what we expect from our students and through the course of their time there. And they don't always choose to speak. We usually have a speaker but it might not be the student who is student of the year. But like I said the staff selects that student based on overall performance and effort and how well they've worked in the program. Well and I've been to several of the graduations and the student speakers are always so moving in what they have to say. It makes you realize how important this program is not just for these students but for our community as a whole. Yeah absolutely. We should all be celebrating their accomplishments because they have worked really hard and have some amazing stories to tell with often a lot of lack of resources that most of us are used to having and so this is just an incredible journey that they've been on and this recognizes their accomplishments at the end. Because they really do want to make something of themselves. They do. And they come out ready to give back to the community. Absolutely. They give all along as they're involved in the program. We have students just yesterday that went to 75 State Street to help with decorations. They participate in community service and have been actively involved in their community and want to be great members of this community. Well we have to wrap it but one of the best things about the graduation that it is open to the community and if people want to attend how do they find out more about this. They could call us at Youth Building Alternatives at Learning Works which is 775-0105 extension 142 or and then we like you said we are welcoming everyone at 11 o'clock on Friday December 14th at the Portland Public Library Rhymes Auditorium. Well I'll be there and thank you so much. Thank you for having me.