((PKG)) BUILDING BOATS CHANGING LIVES
((Banner: Building Confidence))
((Reporter/Camera: Deborah Block))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Alexandria, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
It’s been fun to learn how to use these tools, and not only have I learned how to use a lot of tools that I never would have even known, like even sawing, you never really think about it, but to saw a straight line is a lot harder than like a lot of people make it look. Learned to definitely measure it twice and cut once.
((NATS))
((Jimmy Gottfried, Director, Seaport Center))
Many of the apprentices in our program have faced many challenges in their life, such as a lack of family support, dropping out of school, having run-ins with the law, and they’re looking for a way to gain back the confidence they need to go back out into the workforce.
((NATS))
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
One of the reasons that I came to the program was because they want to help you. And, I guess, what is hard for me is because I’m not used to someone wanting to help me or enthusiastic about it or if anything would believe in me because I’ve always had to prove that I’m worth a value versus having someone already know I’m worth value.
((NATS))
((Fred Geiger, Volunteer))
So that you can translate this information to this information. That’s what they find here. They start to get that self-confidence slowly, and it’s amazing. There’s something tactile about working with wood. When you work with wood, you feel it, it becomes part of you. So, as their self-confidence goes, gets better, then you can start to address some other things in their lives, like, what’s your driver’s license like? Do you have any fines against you? Are you paying your bills? You know, where are you living? Have you seen a doctor lately? You know, all these kinds of things.
((NATS))
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
I believe there’s no such thing as failure than failure without gaining knowledge.
((Volunteer))
Yes, so this is, this is eventually it, you know. It goes in like this as it turns in its stem, you’re feeding the end of the plank into it.
((Apprentice))
Oh, okay, I was going to….
((Fred Geiger, Volunteer))
Did they leave a checklist for you to do?
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
They, well, they said they were going to wait because they’re still deciding right now a few things with it.
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
It’s turning out definitely to be more than I thought it would be. They’ve helped me with some commission work so that I have even extra money in my pocket. I’ve learned calculus since I’ve been here. How to do logic.
((Volunteer))
Yeah, go ahead and set the other one. Okay.
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
How to build a boat and how to do furniture.
((Volunteer))
That’s, that’s the nose of the stem and now I go two inches (5 cm), another four inches (10 cm) and that’s where I’m going to drill down.
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
Some things that even people that go to carpentry school don’t know because I’ve been able to have the opportunity to work with such great shiprights that know so much more than what a normal carpenter would know.
((Jay Helinski, Apprentice Program Manager))
I think Chris is getting a place that’s teaching him something, but that also has his back. That’s something that he didn’t have before. This is a kid who came to us off the bat at the ready for any project, ready to learn whatever he could.
((NATS))
((Chris Adkins, Apprentice))
Yeah, I think we just need a little more.
Through the whole process, it made me realize, like, if you can build a boat, you can basically do anything because you start with nothing and it becomes a work of art.
((NATS))