About
A trades pathway for Alexandria youth
Provide youth with the instruction, tools, and mentoring required to earn a livable wage and have a viable career in the skilled trades.
Mission
Provide youth with the instruction, tools, and mentoring required to earn a livable wage and have a viable career in the skilled trades.
Vision
Break the cycle of generational poverty and build a proficient and marketable workforce in the skilled trades.
The program emphasizes the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development: Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, Caring.
How it started
In 2021, Executive Director Roberto Gomez, recognizing a pressing need, began operating and self-funding an informal pre-apprentice program during the summer and on weekends. He started working with and training five young men, along with support for their families.
To date, Cornerstone has served 44 youth, with 28 active, year-round pre-apprentices, according to the Our History page. The same page describes an ever-growing waitlist of over 45 youth; the FAQ lists a waitlist of 17. Both figures are retained as published and should be reconciled before being used in fundraising materials.
Roberto currently serves on the Alexandria Gang Task Force, Alexandria Policy Foundation, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Board, Alexandria Community Safety Forum, ACPS CTE Advisory Committee, and Harbor Freight Leadership Lab.
Leadership
Names, titles, photographs, and bio PDFs are copied from the current Leadership page. Blank titles are unpublished on that page, not omitted here by guesswork.
