This month, we wrapped up our first carpentry workshop in our Vocational Training Center, located in the Casa de La Cultura in Emiliano Zapata!
Hopefully, this will be just the first phase of a wonderful project and collaboration with members of the community, the local government, and the Carlos Slim Foundation 💖
The 10-week course, imparted by carpenter Martín Gómez Flores, consisted of two hours of hands-on training per class, where 10 students of all ages came to fix their furniture or create new pieces while learning the craft from one of the finest artisans in the area. To complement this practical training, we paired the workshop with the online platform Capacítate para el Empleo (Certify Yourself for Employment), which offers several courses in the fields of construction and carpentry.
The students in our carpentry course were able to use our computer lab to obtain a certificate of theoretical studies which is approved by the SEP (Ministry of Public Education) and various workplaces around the country, further strengthening their skills and opening future employment opportunities.
This project emerged as a result of our COVID-19 Relief Program, through which we provided direct economic aid (thanks to your generous donations!) to thirteen local families who were severely impacted by the pandemic when it hit our region last summer. One recipient of this initiative was Martín Gómez Flores, who wanted to give back to the Careyes Foundation in gratitude for helping his family in their time of need. He proposed to teach this carpentry workshop free of charge, and it has become quite a success and has brought so much life to the already blooming Casa de la Cultura.