Using Creativity to Address Complex Community Problems
101-9 Ascan Street
Forest Hills, NY 11375
620 West 42nd Street #51C
NY Ny 10036
yvonne (at) regoparkgreenalliance.org
Women Who Build- Artists Who Own
Project Summary:
The goal of this program is to empower women to build their construction skills, grow their networks, and increase their confidence. However, unlike other empowerment programs this one is grass roots, women led, and women grown. By taking a DIY approach women learn how to learn by developing their own strategies and solving their own problems. They grow their skills primarily in construction but secondarily in marketing, fundraising, design, research, sourcing, and financial management.
What Do we Learn?
Women learn framing a house, sheathing, flashing and window installations, exterior installs, plumbing, flooring, and more.
How?
Each year the women volunteers will embark on a project. This year the project will be constructing a mobile tiny house that will travel around the community and be used as an education shop to help more women learn construction skills.
What do you mean volunteers?
Everyone working on this project is a volunteer. You have to commit to 6 hours of work plus 1 Saturday for general meeting/skill building sessions.
How do we grow our skills?
A volunteer led group called skill building is responsible for planning skill building sessions for the group and then either leading them or finding someone to lead the sessions.
Are the trainers Professionals?
No. They are usually people in skill building or on the general team who have some skills. Everyone going to skill building will be required to read manuals and look at youtube videos about the topic we are covering. This is a DIY group but we are doing the learning together.
How are women selected?
An event goes up on meetup.com and women signup to attend. Each women must commit to volunteering 6 hours a month to help move the project along in one of 6 groups: Skill building, marketing, fundraising, research financial management, and sourcing. A group coordinator is selected and helps the group select goals and meet them. If women meet their goals they can signup for one of two skill building sessions each month. At the end of the sixth month the skills the women learn are used in building something. This year we are building a tiny house that will become an educational center and travel around NYC.
Is there an age limitation?
If you are under 21 you must come with a parent. Participants range from 15 to 65+
How to get involved
To be alerted of a meetup date go here
https://www.meetup.com/NYC-Tiny-Housebuild-Empowering-Women-Girls-Meetup/For additional
Questions call
718.433.4659