Wilmington’s Community Education Building is meeting with residents and stakeholders to build a Youth Development Center.
CEB is home to four partner schools that serve K-12, and some college students through the University of Delaware. Other organizations like Teach for America and Network Connect provide additional support and resources for families.
And they’re now in the early stages of building a Youth Development Center, where Chief Strategy Officer Ihsan Muhammad says they will have flexible classrooms focused on workforce development opportunities, an early childhood center, two gymnasiums, a black box theater, and outdoor space.
“This is really an opportunity to expand what we do in services to the larger community,” Muhammad says.
Muhammad says CEB serves predominantly Black students, and a large percentage of families are Medicaid eligible. She adds their facility on N. French Street provides its partners with operational support, allowing the schools to focus their funding on educational resources for students.
“The multiple things that can get in the way of a student or family’s success, we work to remove those barriers and also put in place navigation support to ensure that they are getting what they need to be successful in whatever is next for them," Muhammad says.
Community Engagement Manager Olivia Moncrieffe says they are continuing to hold public workshops to hear what more the community wants.
“We really wanted to ensure that the community knew that the Youth Development Center is for them, not to take away anything from them like, ‘oh we’re going to close down the street.’ It’s something that we are adding, not taking away," Moncrieffe says.
A need for summer and late-night programming, a resource center or library, and services for adults are among the comments they’ve heard so far.
Muhammad says they have raised about $14 million out of the $18 million they need for the project, and are searching for other donors and grants to meet their goal.
