Wondering where the next generation of journeyman carpenters, cabinetmakers, floor coverers, millwrights, and pile drivers will come from? It just might begin with kids who are apprenticing to build wooden boats.

     A dynamic partnership is forming between the Southeast Wisconsin Carpentry Training Center (SEWCTC) and All Hands Boatworks, Inc., a Milwaukee youth development nonprofit, to excite, attract, and prepare young people who may choose fulfilling careers in the building trades. It’s too early to say that there is a bonefide resurgence of interest in Milwaukee in the skilled trades, but if true, the Southeast Wisconsin Carpentry Training Center is on the front lines of a small renaissance, and All Hands Boatworks is helping lead the charge in a number of schools, after-school and summer programs, and youth-serving agencies.

     Just last month, the two organizations, along with several other education and trades professionals, joined together to conduct a boatbuilding “Builders Camp” for 24 urban youths from the metro Milwaukee region. The Builders Camp was hosted at the Southeast Wisconsin Carpentry Training Center (SEWCTC) in Pewaukee, WI. Instructors from All Hands Boatworks (AHB) led the students (6th-9th graders) in the construction of four 12’ wooden skiffs over one week. SEWCTC Apprenticeship Program instructors led demos and hands-on activities, ranging from floor covering to virtual welding and pile driving.

     All Hands Boatworks has received a $25,000 matching challenge grant from the Herzfeld Foundation toward the creation of a much-needed storage and maintenance boatshop at its new location in the Menomonee River Valley.  With an easement with the City of Milwaukee for property located by the Emmber Lane Bridge, AHB aims to construct a semi-permanent 3,000 sf facility and boatyard for wooden boatbuilding, on-water programs, and increase community access to the river.

     Help AHB put a roof over its head!   "To finally have a home for All Hands Boatworks will take us a gigantic step forward  in our abilities to educate and mentor youth and help them build hope for their futures,"  says Bill Nimke, founder and president of AHB.

WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE.  WATCH YOUR EMAIL IN THE DAYS AHEAD FOR DETAILS ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.

What do recycling and the river have in common? Come learn with us! This 2.5 hour program gets your class moving! We'll tour the Materials Recovery Facility to see what happens to the things you put in your bin. We'll also see the effects of litter by hiking along the Hank Aaron State Trail to do a litter cleanup and observing the effects of trash while rowing down the river with All Hands Boatworks. Students will learn basic rowing skills as they work in small teams to explore the Menomonee River.

Mini grants are available to cover the cost of this program for schools in the City of Milwaukee. Please use the PromoCode MKESchool when registering.  Go to www.KGMB.org to register.

The tour includes steps and while the MRF observation room is wheelchair accessible, the plant floor is not. Tour participants need to wear tennis shoes. For students participating in the on-the-water boating portion of the program, an additional waiver is required. All Hands Boatworks meets all MPS requirements and provides a licensed life guard for all water programming.

RiverVentures: Water, Water Everywhere!

Explore water with us! We'll do activities to explore the water cycle and our role in using and conserving water. We'll hike along the Hank Aaron State Trail to observe water habitats and finally, explore the river from the river! In small groups we'll board wooden boats with All Hands Boatworks and learn basic rowing skills on the Menomonee River.

Please note that this program does not include a tour of the recycling facility and can only be done at KGMB's facility. For students participating in the on-the-water boating portion of the program, an additional waiver is required. All Hands Boatworks meets all MPS requirements and provides a licensed life guard for all water programming.