(MT. VERNON, IL) — The YouthBuild program of Marion and Jefferson Counties is currently taking applications for youth between the ages of 17 and 24 years old who need their high school equivalency (HSE) diploma. Applications can be submitted from now until July 30th for classes that will start in August. Interviews will be conducted in Centralia between August 4th – 5th, and in Mt. Vernon between July 31st and August 2nd. Walk-in interviews will be August 10th – 11th in Centralia, and August 8th – 9th in Mt. Vernon. YouthBuild is a program of Spero Family Services, and is federally funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. This program helps young adults in our own community, living in a lower-income household and without a high school education, be able to earn a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma, learn valuable work skills, and place them in jobs to earn money. This is a free program. Anyone interested should apply online at www.sperofs.org/youthbuild. For more information, please call 242-6723 ext. 234 for Jefferson County, and 618-533-5288 in Marion County. Find us on Facebook too: https://www.facebook.com/speroyouthbuild.