It’s not everyday we get the opportunity to join a great cause and help diversify the future of the construction industry. However, on April 1, Hawaii’s Habitat for Humanity hosted its first of three youth workshops as part of its Wahine Build initiative to introduce girls to construction—and several of our Layton wahine (women) helped make it happen.
Hands On and Hats Off!
The event was sponsored by the Hui Malama O Ke Kai Foundation in Waimanalo on the island of Oahu, a program focusing its education on hands-on, outdoor learning and community service rooted in Hawaiian culture and values. The workshops are exclusively for young women and are centered on construction projects that the girls can build themselves to align with the Wahine Build mission to get more women interested and involved in construction.
This first workshop was for those in sixth-eighth grades, where the girls got to make chicken coops to be donated within their community. “With the help and partnership of the local NAWIC chapter, we had so many strong women of the industry there to help guide the build by teaching the girls how to use tools and how to think through the building process,” said Layton Project Manager Melissa Humphrey, who is on the NAWIC board and the Wahine Build Committee. “We had every single girl learn to use and then operate a power drill, many for the first time!”
Moreover, those from the Layton team got to share a bit about their journeys in the construction industry and the work they’ve put in. All in all, it was a great experience for our team, the girls, and everyone else involved.
Thank you to our Layton wahine for making a difference and exemplifying the Layton Way.
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