June marked another month in the books for what has become quite the year for the Construction Foundation. The Foundation team continued to push forward on a number of initiatives and workshops while adapting to the current times and precautions that are being taken during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The turn of the month saw the 2020 Skills Canada Indigenous Skills Showcase move to an online, weeklong format. The digital-only Showcase eliminated the event’s original plan of opening the doors to a Vancouver-based event. The complete overhaul of the format meant that the CFBC team would also have to adapt.
Led by the CFBC Indigenous Career Catalyst and artist Dean Heron, the team interviewed several established and well-known First Nations artists, cooks and carvers through Zoom calls and produced a number of videos to provide insight into their professional lives and to celebrate the history of Indigenous peoples. The Showcase videos also included contributions from Heron himself, as well as the Industry Training Authority of British Columbia.
Watch the Foundation’s ‘Indigenous Skills Showcase’ here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlOHqHL9AzSsEXuxBiPmjfP2pRN_x3hoT
In addition to the team’s Indigenous Skills Showcase, weekly videos and projects based around the Foundation’s Skills Ready and All Roads initiatives were also created and distributed online. These include, but were not limited to a ‘Project of the Week’, Indigenous Skills workshops and a bi-weekly series with Career Catalyst Dave Lovisa.
The Indigenous Skills workshop video series features artist and carver Dean Heron explaining and demonstrating in detail the steps of creating Indigenous projects such as traditional knives, paddles, pendants and feast bowls. Heron is a Kaska -Tlinget artist whose work has been featured across the world.
Watch Dean Heron’s ‘Indigenous Skills’ workshop videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlOHqHL9AzSsws1cvhNLIC_aopmjYbfz-
Dave’s Workshop video series sees Career Catalyst Dave Lovisa doing a tour of his home and providing the answers to some common household issues such as filtration systems, squeaky doors and troubleshooting hinge issues. Dave also provides insight for young workers who are thinking of entering the trades.
Watch ‘Dave’s Workshop’ here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlOHqHL9AzSvVol8OEeTyxdRS-ODEryXz
Video workshops continued with Director of Project Operations Rene Ragetli’s Skills Ready Workshops, featuring how-to videos for constructing a Jenga set, iPhone tablet holder as well as a spaghetti bridge. The Skills Ready workshops led by Regatli tie into the Foundation’s Skills Ready Projects initiative, which features submitted projects from educators and trades professionals across the province of B.C.
The Pinterest-esque Projects website now features 50 projects with step-by-step instructions, YouTube tutorials and downloadable files on a variety of woodwork and electrical projects for Future Builders of all ages. The website is viewable by clicking HERE or visiting www.projects.skillsready.ca.
