A. My Brother’s Workshop is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and your donation is tax deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.
A. Yes! Checks may be made out to My Brother’s Workshop and mailed to:
My Brother’s Workshop
PO Box 503205
St. Thomas, VI 00805
A. My Brother’s Workshop (MBW), founded in 2007, is a non-profit organization whose vision is to end youth crime and violence in the USVI. With a holistic approach, MBW brings hope through mentoring, counseling, education, on-the-job training, and job placement, to at-risk and high-risk youth. What started with 4 young people, MBW has grown into an organization that sees over 150 trainees per year, both male and female, ages 16-24. It is because of such faithful supporters and its local subsidiaries that this critical work can continue and can grow to reach more youth in the USVI and help rebuild our paradise, we call home.
A. MBW trainees gain hands‑on experience through placement at one of our on‑the‑job training programs. These include:
St. Thomas Workshop & Machine Shop (Tutu Mall)
St. Croix Workshop (Castle Coakley)
Café & Bakery (Main Campus)
Sewing Program (Main Campus)
Trainees are placed in one of these programs based on interest and openings available. They begin working with a stipend and transition to hourly wages after their probationary period. Those who have not yet earned a high school diploma are required to do so while enrolled, ensuring they graduate with both academic credentials and practical job skills.
All trainees are expected to arrive on time and uphold professional standards. For many, this marks their first opportunity to secure and maintain meaningful employment – providing the opportunity for the development of essential workplace skills such as accountability, reliability, following directions, and communication. Alongside these universal skills, trainees gain technical skills that prepare them for success in entry level job opportunities after graduation.
A. Many trainees come to MBW with limited access to supportive adults and positive peer networks. Trust can be difficult at first. Barriers include making eye contact or holding a conversation. As trusting, consistent relationships form within MBW, transformation is visible to everyone.
When trainees are given a safe space and are given opportunities where they achieve repeated success, outlook shifts. Social skills strengthen, eye contact becomes easier, and confidence, respectfulness, and overall communication improve measurably.
A. The USVI has a less-educated workforce with 30% of our population without a highschool diploma, high crime rate-per capita (we’d rank 5th in world if we were our own country) 46% raised in single parent households, over 40% of 3rd graders read below grade level and nearly half of 11th graders lack proficiency in math. There are many factors that lead to a child dropping out of school and going down the wrong path; abuse in the home, drug use, a need to earn money for their family, pregnancy and joining gangs lead to many of the dropouts and other behavior issues in the Virgin Islands.
A. MBW trainees are resilient young people, primarily ages 16 to 24, who come to us seeking stability, skills, and a pathway to a stronger future.
Our trainees meet the criteria for at‑risk or high‑risk youth due to the significant barriers they have faced in life. Approximately 75% of trainees begin MBW without a high school diploma. Around 60% have had prior involvement with the juvenile justice system, and 35% have experienced gang involvement. Nearly 65% of our trainees live with a physical or learning disability. We have had trainees healing from gunshot injuries, and all have experienced stressors in childhood such as exposure to violence, loss of loved ones, poverty, and physical or emotional abuse. Roughly 10% arrive at MBW experiencing homelessness.
Despite these challenges, our trainees show strong determination through participation in our program. MBW provides the structure, support, and holistic education needed to prepare for successful entry into the workforce.
A. MBW receives referrals for over 40 different agencies, but individuals may apply through our main office as well. The more obstacles in a young person’s life, the more they need to be in our program.
A.A social enterprise is an organization that uses its skills and business strategies to improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities, not simply to generate profit. At MBW, our vocational training facilities operate as social enterprises and serve as hands‑on learning environments for our trainees. Revenue from the products and services created in these spaces goes directly back into sustaining and strengthening the MBW program.
MBW Social Enterprises:
• Workshop
• Café & Bakery
• Engineering R&D
• Sewing
A. We have a success rate of 70-80% that complete our program and graduate, which for us means you either obtain employment, further your education, or enroll in military. We have worked with over 1,200 youth in the USVI. We also work with volunteers and have over 132,000 hours of community service projects to our local communities. We now have an alternative school where if you have NOT received your high school diploma, you are required to do that as well. We also save taxpayers millions of dollars by helping steer the course of a young person. We take an individual that if incarcerated or unemployed would cost the community $5 million in the course of his or her life with all the social programs needed for this individual, and we turn them into being employed and receiving their high school diploma and they in fact become tax payers and positive community members. MBW is helping our youth realize a better path, to further their education, and ultimately change their lives. This is a matter of life and death. Sadly, we have buried 24 youth, several who were on the waiting list.
A. MBW cannot be successful without the continued support of our donors, volunteers and community. All donations made will directly fund all programs here at MBW. Your kindness and generosity is helping change our VI youth’s lives!
A. Our organization has many volunteers throughout the community. We are always seeking individuals who are wanting to use their skills and talents to help us in our mission to transform the lives of these wonderful youth. Please fill out our contact us form with a brief description of what you would like to do and your availability and we will contact you soon.
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