Austin Bean, Riverfront’s new Skilled Trade Program Manager, shows off his very limited current tool resources - donations are needed!
After a two year delay due to Covid-19, Riverfront School & Career Center is ready to launch their new Skilled Trades Program! The program is designed to educate students in all aspects of general construction, basic carpentry, electrical skills and other hands-on applications. The program was awarded two-years of startup funding by the Youth Development Division from the state of Oregon. The primary use for this funding will go toward the salary of the program manager, Austin Bean, recently hired at Looking Glass, youth wages for an eight week-long summer work experience and program operating expenses.
Riverfront School is also receiving supplemental funding from Alex & Amy Haugland, part of which will go toward leasing a shop space, which Riverfront is actively seeking. The ideal shop space would be within the Eugene-Springfield area and have roughly 3,000 square feet, with functional heating and ample electrical outlets.
“The main goals within the first year of the program are basically to get a shop space running, gather tools and develop curriculum,” explained Bean. “If we can also get the students working on tiny houses by February, and even complete one, that would be amazing.”
Looking Glass has formed partnerships with other area nonprofits wherein the Skilled Trades students will have hands-on learning opportunities helping to build structures including tiny homes on behalf of Square One Villages, Carry It Forward, and Community Supported Shelters. These structures will benefit the unhoused population of Lane County.
This old Black & Decker sander is unusable and an example of the outdated tools currently on hand and in need of replacing at Riverfront in order to properly teach the students.
To kick things off, in addition to finding a shop space, Looking Glass is in need of professional grade tools. A tool donation drive will take place in early January. Jerry’s Home Improvement Center has generously donated a high-end table saw which Bean describes as the centerpiece of the shop space. Tools needed range from hammers, drills and extension cords to larger items including sanding machines, dust collectors and ladders.
“We are so excited to offer underserved youth access to Career Technical Education opportunities that will allow them to gain technical expertise, transferable work skills, and acquire points toward entry into apprenticeship trades programs, “ said Cheryl E. Zwillinger, Program Director. “We will be serving students who need to complete their high school diploma and graduates.”
Looking Glass will be working with Lane Community College to provide students with college credit for their coursework and hands-on experiences while in the program.Students will earn points toward apprenticeship applications and become eligible for internships at regional construction firms. The long-term goals for the program include taking on larger projects and providing Riverfront students and other Looking Glass clients experience building projects from the ground up.
Skilled trade program manager, Austin Bean, seen here working on a tiny home on a prior job.
“Building things is really a secondary component of what our hopes for this program include,” Bean explained. “When youth can see the results of hard hands-on work of building something out of nothing, their confidence grows and that shows itself in many aspects of their lives.”
Bean grew up in rural North Carolina, where he helped build his grandmother’s house at the age of 9, and credits his grandparents and stepfather with instilling construction and woodworking interest and abilities in him which built his confidence and curiosity about fixing things. Bean, who spent 11 years as an aviator in the coast guard, worked for various cabinet making companies, spent time as a youth pastor in Hawaii, has been a volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club, and discovered his passion for working with at-risk youth.
“I’ve always enjoyed fixing things, taking things that are broken or deemed to be trash by one person and fixing them and making something new,” said Bean. “As a teen, I was fortunate to have a couple of adults in my life that invited me into their families and helped me out. Not everyone experiences a supportive environment during their youth. Those of us who have, know the importance of that help. I hope we can build a shop environment where youth are just excited to hang out and build stuff!”
If you would like to donate or help the new Skilled Trades Program in any way, please reach out to Tyler Mack, Director of Marketing & Development at tyler.mack@lookingglass.us.