VICTORIA, BC – Victoria’s St. Margaret’s School–an all-girl private institution– closed out the month of February with back-to-back woodworking workshops, facilitated by the Construction Foundation’s Skills Ready initiative.
A Thursday workshop, led by by Adea of Billy Would Designs, introduced students and teachers to the process of creating wood jewelry, while Friday’s teacher-specific workshop pulled from the Skills Ready Projects book to introduce participants to simple wood projects that they can introduce to their classes.
“Each girl was really engaged and created multiple amazing pieces,” said Thursday’s workshop leader Adea. “The staff said they were surprised by the participation and excitement by each kid for the entire time. They said that doesn’t usually happen.”
An abundance of project options and pieces meant students could work on multiple projects, or direct their focus towards a single project. Most of the teachers ended up participating in the creation of wood pieces as well.
“The gap time between classes was a great chance to connect with the teachers and staff,” added Adea. “It lead to an exciting conversation about girls and women in trade and the ways to support them. Being an all-girls school, St. Margaret’s School has a great opportunity to explore this more.”
Friday’s workshop was equally as engaging, with carpentry teacher Don Cameron leading educators through a morning of carpentry in the classroom. Teachers selected a project they were interested in completing and used the Skills Ready Project book to guide them in the building process.
“I was thinking about all the ways I could support the students and the teachers and the different projects we could do, it’s very exciting,” said Carol, a teacher from St. Margaret’s School who participated in Friday’s workshop. “I didn’t know very much about Skills Ready so the workshop was very informative and it was quick and engaging and we got right to work. It was just fun to play, but with knowledgable people who could support us with the tools because I have not had much experience with that.”
Working in a converted classroom-to-workshop setup, each teacher completed their wood creations by noon, working from raw materials and walking out with a a knowledge of creating practical wood projects that they can share with students in the future.
“The concept behind [the workshops] is to have the teachers become more comfortable using the tools,” concluded Don. “Learning how to use the tools in a correct and safe manner with the idea that they’ll have the confidence to then go and share these concepts with the students of this all-girl school.”
About the Construction Foundation of BC
The Construction Foundation builds community through engagement in charitable initiatives and a commitment to industry focused education and research initiatives that benefit all British Columbians. For more information, please visit www.constructionfoundation.ca.
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