When schools were forced to close in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it created a situation where families were going to be spending a lot of time at home together.
And it led to a big idea – virtual shop class.
“We thought, what a great opportunity to take shop class and actually bring it to families in their homes,” said Jason Burns, senior digital marketing manager at Lowe’s. “It’s a great activity and it gives kids the opportunity to learn basic fundamentals of building.”
On May 5, Generation T, powered by Lowe’s, and She Built This City, launched the first free webinar. The eight-week series is aimed at introducing the skilled trades to younger generations. Hosted once a week by Demi Clark from She Built This City, families can learn the basics of building and work on fun projects using materials from around the house.
“It’s about empowering parents and really empowering the kids,” said Clark, a 20-year construction veteran who founded She Built This City. “Let’s get them off the laptops. Online learning is great, but after this shop class is done, get in your garage or get in your yard and get those kids using their hands to build and create. It gets them dreaming again, and it’s not in the digital space.
“It’s a great time to get them engaged.”
The series is presented via Facebook Live on the Generation T page every Tuesday beginning at noon EDT, and each episode is archived for later viewing.
“The feedback has been overwhelming,” Burns said. “When we started this, I would have been happy if 200 people watched it. I was going to be really happy with that.”
This first class had 15,000 views and the numbers have been climbing each week.
“It’s been humbling how many people have watched, commented and shared,” Clark said. “Humbling is the only word I can think of.”
Below is the list of topics that have been featured or will be taught in future episodes:
May 5: Intro to shop class
May 12: Basic carpentry 101 – Bee pollinator
May 19: Advanced carpentry 201 – Dog bowl set
May 26: Basic plumbing skills
June 2: DIY bathroom
June 9: HVAC 101
June 16: Drywall repair
June 23: Flooring and tiling
“We’ve heard from the parents how this is such a great opportunity to connect with their kids for an hour,” Clark said. “And a big part of what I teach is ‘there is no perfect.’ It’s an open world for you to explore. It’s so cool to see what people make from our examples, how they’ve modified the design.
“It’s really about getting everyone’s confidence up.”