Speaker; Gretchen Willebrandt from Urban Boat Builders.

Gretchen has a strong history in outdoor work and recreation, especially Boating and Sailing.

She also grew up with many Rotary exchange students, as her father was a long-time Rotarian

 

Urban Boat Builders (UBB) started in 1995 when 3 separate groups had a similar idea. The groups joined together to help underserved youth repair and build boats. It gave the youth something to do, learn some woodworking and tools use, and build self-esteem Along the way, the youth learned many more things from these mentors;

 

Responsibility, working with adults and others, teamwork, confidence, communication, and problem solving are the initial benefits. Further along the way, their academic work improved sharply, and many went much higher in school than they might have. It is a life-changing program for these hundreds of youth that had difficult starts. It has grown to one of the top programs of its kind in the country.

 

There are 3 components to UBB

1. Apprenticeship; adults start them out, but in time, the students become teachers to other students. Readiness for work, weekly workshops for more skills, and finally pathways to employment put them into the workplace. They are paid for their work. They spend 70-120 hours together at work, and the  ‘final exam’ is a week in the wilderness to instill the need to figure things out and rely on each other.

 

2. Partnership; ages 12 to 21 often work right in their schools or towns in boat building workrooms. Even the State Fair has them building canoes in the 10 days

“Screens Down, Saws Up” is an often heard motto. Canoes, Kayaks, Longboards, and paddles are their products, and some kids take on personal projects.

 

3. Public; community events, trade organizations, tech schools, are all involved to help the kids see what’s out there, and show employers what they can do.

The kids are building canoes, but UBB is Building Responsible Youth. Talk about a talk today right up our alley!