Our vision is that through the development of life-giving communities and training programs, students are inspired to reach lifelong success as they become strong, confident workers with a commitment to life, education, family and community.
Blueprint 502 is an outstanding education, job training, and leadership program that provides low-income young adults, ages 11 -24, opportunities to realize their potential as active, social justice driven, community leaders building an educated workforce for Louisville.
For the last 24 years, Blueprint 502 has operated as YouthBuild Louisville. YouthBuild programs around the world use a proven model to connect young people who are out of school and out of work to reclaim their education, gain job skills, and become leaders in their communities through service and civic engagement. With love and respect, YouthBuild partners with opportunity youth to build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood, and leadership. In Louisville, under the leadership of Lynn Rippy, the local YouthBuild program has garnered national acclaim and recognition as a model for success and achievement. Through strong partnerships and a focused strategy for sustainability, YouthBuild Louisville serves as the city’s primary resource for young people seeking reconnection and opportunity.
As the YouthBuild Louisville program evolved, we found that our participants required a wider range of services than the YouthBuild model provided. In addressing those needs, other programs and funding were secured expanding the offerings to our youth and surrounding community. In 2024, Blueprint 502 was formed to better reflect the holistic approach of ALL our programming. While YouthBuild remains a principal program of Blueprint 502, we are also excited about the other offerings we have developed to serve more young adults with a wider variety of training options and personal supports.
Our additional program offerings now include:
- Specialized academic education
- Job training – environmental, medical, culinary, apartment maintenance and brownfields assessment and remediation
- Housing opportunities
- Job placement
- GED testing site (opened to meet the needs of our students and the community)
As an integral part of the Smoketown community, we have also expanded our programming to include these services:
- Safe schools work with neighborhood youth at Meyzeek Middle to improve
- Afterschool and summer programming for teens and preteens in Smoketown
- Community amenities that serve the needs of Smoketown residents
- Built and opened a laundromat in Smoketown
- Community Center*
The board, staff, and alumni of Blueprint 502 are committed to building lasting strength and resilience of all of our young people and the Smoketown community.
Blueprint 502 is primarily funded by the Department of Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, Louisville Metro Government, Metro United Way and generous local foundations, corporations and citizens.