Courtesy of Building Futures
Nonprofit Building Futures hosts Design and Build Workshops that offer area youth free hands-on opportunities to learn applicable skills involving architecture, drawing, and building. Co-founder Frank Lorberbaum shares five important takeaways.
1. Empower: “Making something with your hands creates a strong sense of empowerment. They can have these things forever.”
2. Start Small: “One of our student’s first projects is to make a storage object shaped like an animal. Students design the object, make a model, and then enlarge their designs. Once they’ve learned how to use the hand and power tools through this project, they are encouraged to come up with their own ideas. Some examples include clocks, gumball machines, breadboards, and even a shield.”
3. Show Up: “We network within the public school system, where we have in-school classes. Our kids are primarily from low-income households, but anyone can attend one of our workshops.”
4. Never Stop Learning: “Communication, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, how to use tools… All of these are required in STEAM fields, but a child’s creativity is an important element, too. The projects that Building Futures [participants] work on are a fun application of what students also learn in school; for example, they have to use math as they design and build.”
5. Remember How Far You've Come: “When I was a child, I attended summer camp through the Clayton School District. I swam, played sports, and worked with wood. One of my most memorable projects was a simple tomahawk with a wood blade.”
Find Scholarships, Jobs & More
Launched in 2015 by Build-A-Bear Workshop founder Maxine Clark, Blueprint4SummerSTL is more than just a place to find summer camps for kids. It has also helped students identify scholarship opportunities—last year, nearly 380 students were able to attend camp for free. The site now includes job opportunities for camp counselors, lifeguards, nurses, and bus drivers as well. And special-needs program listings have increased by 83 percent. What about older kids? Sister site Blueprint4Summer College Prep offers nationwide resources for college-bound high-school students looking to participate in summer programs.
