Visit to Covenant House's Artisan Woodshop, Washington DC.
It was a pleasure to visit the Artisan Woodshop program, run by Covenant House, while I was in Washington DC recently. This program is a job training initiative focusing on teaching woodworking skills to youth at risk including homeless young people. Over a 4 month period, they learn not only a range of woodworking skills, but they also develop many of those employability skills employers require. Learning just to be reliable and turn up for work is such a basic and critical attitudinal skill which the young participants acquire during their training. Up to 8 young people participate in the program at any one time, and are currently making table and chair sets which are then given to needy families in their communities. The trainees are paid the minimum wage while they are engaged in the program. In this picture Greg is chatting with Kevin, a program participant. It was a delight to hear Kevin speaking about how his view of furniture and timber has changed now that he understands how ...