Federal budget cuts could impact programs for at-risk teens in Schenectady. The Youth Build program may have to make major cutbacks if it doesn't get the federal funding it says it desperately needs.

The proposed Department of Labor budget would slash Youth Build's funding by millions. 

The Youth Build program gives at-risk young people, ages 16-24, the chance to learn trade skills and many times, a second chance at life. Isa Barros was 16 when he dropped out of high school.

"I wasn't in a good spot. I wasn't doing a lot of positive things with my time," said Barros. 

It wasn't until he was introduced to Youth Build that he found his purpose in construction. Barros is just one of the many students whose lives were changed because of Youth Build, which has an 86 percent job placement rate.

"Our young people feel so beat up by the system, by life, by circumstances that were out of their control, so to see them in control of their life, knowing they have a purpose, watching them walk across stage, knowing they have found meaning. There's nothing greater than that," says SEAT Center Executive Director Jennifer Lawrence.

The funding cuts are catching the attention of some of the state's leaders on Capitol Hill.

Senator Charles Schumer toured the halls of the SEAT Center Monday and saw firsthand the good the program does. He made a promise that he will not only fight to make sure they get the federal funds, but increase it.

Lawrence says it's important to see the changes the group makes in others’ lives. 

"When you see young people who want to work, who want to change, who want a good paying job and you see their high energy, their hard work, you can’t help but want to support it," said Lawrence. 

The Youth Build program is one of two local programs. It's likely the cuts will have a similar effect in Troy.