LEWISTON, Maine — Sometimes the tools you need to succeed are actually tools.
Through construction projects and in this case, a skateboard ramp, it's the mission of one group of young adults to support their community.
But a need for support themselves is what brought them together in the first place.
17-year-old Autumn St. Amant had trouble connecting with others and staying focused in a traditional classroom setting.
Then she learned about Take2 YouthBuild, a program that provides valuable job-skill training through construction projects and allows students to work towards a high school equivalency diploma.
"Everyone helps each other, there's no judging, you are all just fitting in and having a great time with each other," said Amant.
"While we give them their education and stuff like that a lot of times we're just hoping to get them at a good place in life," said Travis Johnson, a construction skills supervisor at Goodwill Northern New England.
The program, through Goodwill Northern New England, is funded by a Department of Labor grant.
The skateboard ramp project was part of a larger Build Maine initiative this week to encourage local cities and towns to find unique ways to use their downtowns and neighborhoods.