Ages 16-24
Get Paid to Learn
Build Your Future. Heal Your Past.
This isn't your typical classroom setup. KRAFTYACADEMY is a 12-month YouthBuild program that pays you real money while you earn credentials that actually matter. We blend hip-hop culture with workforce development because we know your story doesn't fit in a textbook. Whether you dropped out, aged out, or got locked out of traditional pathways, this is your shot. Earn between $13 and $35 per hour through registered apprenticeships while building skills in construction, green tech, media, healthcare, or AI. Walk away with industry credentials, a support network, and a real career—not just a certificate gathering dust.
Apply Now
What We Offer
We aren't a traditional classroom because traditional classrooms weren't built for you. KRAFTYACADEMY is a complete workforce development ecosystem designed for your liberation, not your compliance. We combine real wages, industry credentials, mental health support, housing connections, and a community that has your back. This is about economic freedom, emotional healing, and building generational wealth. Stop choosing between paying rent and building skills—we make sure you can do both.
Get Paid
Earn $13-$35/hour through registered apprenticeships while you learn. Real work means real money in your pocket—every single week.
Get Certified
Walk away with OSHA 10, CPSS, CNA prep, and nationally recognized credentials that employers actually respect and hire for.
Get Supported
Access licensed mental health services, case management, and wraparound support that addresses the trauma holding you back from success.
Get Housed
Connect to affordable housing resources and pathways to homeownership. Build the houses during training, then get priority access to own your future.
Get Connected
Build a professional network that lasts way beyond graduation. Join a community of winners who lift each other up and open doors.
Choose Your Path
Pick the track that matches your vision and your hustle. Every pathway leads to financial freedom, industry credentials, and career opportunities that pay real money. You're not locked in forever—this is about discovering what fits your strengths and where you can make the biggest impact. All tracks include paid apprenticeship hours, hands-on training, and support from industry professionals who want to see you win.
Construction Plus
The Builder
Master carpentry, landscaping, site work, and housing construction. Build the infrastructure your community needs while earning industry-standard wages.
Credentials: OSHA 10, Pre-Apprenticeship Certification
Green Sector
The Provider
Get into urban farming, hydroponics, food production, and sustainability work. Grow food, grow wealth, and help your community eat better.
Credentials: Urban Farming Certification, Food Safety Handler
Media & Healing Arts
The Creator
Learn film production, music creation, digital content development, and therapeutic arts. Tell your story and get paid to do it.
Credentials: Digital Media Badge, CPSS Preparation
Community Care
The Healer
Train in peer support, home health, caregiving, and crisis response. Your lived experience becomes your greatest professional asset.
Target Wage: $30-35/hour with CPSS certification
Technology & AI
The Innovator
Master automation tools, AI applications, digital marketing, and tech operations. Get ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing sector.
Credentials: Automation Certification, AI Tools Badge
Healing Through Culture
The system wasn't designed for your success—it was designed to trap you in cycles of poverty, trauma, and survival mode. We designed something different: your liberation. Our Hip-Hop Therapy model recognizes that healing doesn't happen in sterile offices with clipboards. It happens through culture, creativity, and community. We integrate therapeutic practices with the cultural expressions you already use to process your reality. You'll work with licensed clinical partners and get enrolled as a patient to access Medicaid-covered mental health services at absolutely no cost to you. This isn't an add-on—it's the foundation.
Music & Lyricism
Process your trauma, tell your truth, and find your voice through songwriting, recording, and live performance. Your story matters and deserves to be heard.
Dance & Movement
Break through emotional and psychological barriers using movement therapy and dance. Your body holds trauma—let's release it through rhythm and motion.
Visual Arts
Express yourself through graffiti, design, and visual storytelling. Transform pain into beauty and create art that reflects your journey and vision.
VR Therapy
Experience breakthrough healing through cutting-edge immersive technology. Virtual reality therapy helps you confront fears and reimagine your future in safe environments.
Legal Literacy
Know your rights, understand the system, and learn how to navigate legal challenges. Stop being a victim of a system that counts on your ignorance.

Real Talk: You'll be enrolled as a patient with licensed clinical partners to access Medicaid-covered mental health services—at no cost to you. Healing isn't optional here, it's part of the program.
Your 12-Month Journey
This isn't a sprint—it's a structured 12-month transformation that meets you where you're at and takes you where you deserve to be. From stabilization and healing to earning real money and launching your career, every phase builds on the last. We stay with you through all of it, plus 12 months of follow-up support after you graduate. You're not just getting a certificate and a handshake. You're getting a roadmap, a support team, and the resources to actually make it.
Phase 1: Healing
Weeks 1-12
Focus: Stabilization, mental health support, program orientation, and building trust with your team.
You Get: Full clinical assessment, dedicated case manager, family engagement services, and a personalized support plan.
Phase 2: Discovery
Weeks 13-24
Focus: Explore career tracks, GED/HSE preparation, soft skills training, and figuring out what pathway fits your goals.
You Get: Mental Health First Aid certification, OSHA 10 safety card, financial literacy training, and track selection support.
Phase 3: Earning
Weeks 25-36
Focus: Paid apprenticeship placement, hands-on work experience, and completing your industry credential requirements.
You Get: Progressive wages from $13→$15→$17/hour, Department of Labor apprenticeship certificate, and industry-recognized credentials.
Phase 4: Launch
Weeks 37-52
Focus: Job placement, business launch support, post-secondary enrollment, and preparing for life after the program.
You Get: Complete Liberation Portfolio, micro-grant funding for next steps, and 12 months of ongoing follow-up support.
Building Homes. Building Futures.
We don't just train you to swing a hammer and call it a day. We put you to work building affordable housing for your own community—real projects, real construction, real impact. Right now, we're actively developing 330 McCaskey Road in Williamston, NC, where we're constructing 18-25 affordable homes on a 14-acre site. This isn't a simulation or a practice project. This is the real deal, and you're part of it.
Here's the powerful part: graduates of the construction track may qualify for priority placement to purchase these homes. That means the houses you help build during your training could become your house when you're done. We're converting your workforce training into wealth-building and homeownership opportunities. That's generational change, not just a paycheck.
Who Can Apply
KRAFTYACADEMY serves opportunity youth ages 16-24 who are ready to transform struggle into success. If you've been pushed out, counted out, or left behind by traditional systems, this program was designed specifically for you. We prioritize youth facing the greatest barriers because we know that with the right support, you're unstoppable. If any of these situations describe your reality, you belong here.
High school dropouts or youth at risk of not graduating due to attendance, credits, or life circumstances
Currently in foster care or aging out of the foster care system without stable support
Justice-involved youth on probation, parole, or reentering society after incarceration
Pregnant or parenting teens navigating the challenges of raising children while building a future
Living in low-income housing, experiencing homelessness, or facing housing instability
At risk of suspension, expulsion, or deeper involvement with school discipline or justice systems
Seeking a pathway out of gang involvement and looking for positive alternatives
Ready to stop surviving day-to-day and start building long-term success and stability
Who We Work With
KRAFTYACADEMY isn't operating in isolation. We've built a powerful network of community organizations, educational institutions, workforce development agencies, and industry partners who are all committed to your success. These partnerships mean you get access to resources, expertise, and opportunities that no single organization could provide alone. From mental health services to job placement, from technical training to housing support—our partners make this ecosystem work.
These partnerships represent decades of combined experience in youth development, workforce training, community building, and economic empowerment. When you join KRAFTYACADEMY, you're not just joining a program—you're joining a movement backed by organizations that have been doing this work for years and know how to get results.
Ready to Change Your Life?
We accept a limited number of applicants each session because we're committed to giving every single participant the individual attention and support they deserve. Priority goes to youth facing the greatest barriers—the ones who need this opportunity most. If you're tired of surviving and ready to start building, if you're ready to heal while you hustle, if you're ready to prove everyone wrong who counted you out—apply today.
This is your moment. The only question is whether you're ready to take it.
Contact Information
One Body One Source / KRAFTYACADEMY
204 E. Arlington Blvd.
Greenville, NC 27834
Phone: 252-493-6292
Email: [email protected]
KRAFTYACADEMY is a YouthBuild program operated by Mid-Atlantic Enterprises LLC / Hip-Hop Healing Institute under fiscal sponsorship of One Body One Source (Nehemiah Economic Development Association), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Your Next Steps
The application process is straightforward because we don't believe in making you jump through a bunch of unnecessary hoops. We want to know your story, understand your goals, and figure out if KRAFTYACADEMY is the right fit for where you're trying to go. Here's exactly what happens next when you apply, and what you can expect throughout the process. We're transparent about everything because your time matters and your future is too important for games.
01
Submit Your Application
Fill out the online application with your basic information, background, and why you're interested in the program. Be honest—we want to know the real you.
02
Initial Phone Interview
We'll call you within 5 business days to have a conversation about your goals, challenges, and questions about the program. This is informal—just a real conversation.
03
In-Person Meeting
Come visit us in Greenville to tour the facility, meet staff and current participants, and get a feel for whether this is the right environment for you.
04
Enrollment & Orientation
Once accepted, you'll complete enrollment paperwork, meet your case manager, and begin your 12-month journey starting with Phase 1: Healing.