The Trades Can Transform Neighborhoods

I am filling out my schedule of events, and it will soon be getting very busy.  April is the start of the Art Garage.  This was the seminal project which inspired the Community House Network.  This year our opening will be both of the Art Garage, and the Shop Co-Op which will host the First Apprentice program as well as other activities designed to promote training in the trades.  I have often spoken to the power of creativity to transform people's lives.  The trades have just as much power to transform not just individual's lives, but whole neighborhoods.  

My neighborhood was built by people who worked in the trades and built their own houses.  The Chrysalis House was built by a plumber, and has a bunch of incredible details.  When people build their own houses they care about those things.  

So I live in a neighborhood with houses that were built with such care, and so many are now in complete neglect or disrepair.  It is not a matter of not caring, but not having the know-how, or money to pay someone else to do it.  This can leave people somewhat helpless.

When people know how to fix their own properties, they can customize them to their hearts desire. What a difference it would make if we could have more home-ownership and a greater knowledge base in the trades so that home-owners could create and take care of the house of their dreams.

Besides just the Art Garage, we have a new project starting in April, The First Apprentice.  This is a project-based youth centered program designed to teach kids some of the basic skills of the trades while giving them a chance to build small, fun projects.  Our session project to be held on April 10th will be hosted by no other than Ed Boley, of Boley Tools.  He will teach the kids to make Antler Lamps.  Now that is a cool project.  I will have to let you know how it turns out.
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