Last Saturday, we were absolutely delighted to host a workshop for community members to learn a trick or two at being handy at home.
You may think there is not much to it: learn to use a drill, patch holes on the wall, and paint some corners without using masking tape.
But behind every handy skill, there's a lot of experience, care and wisdom built up over the years. And last Saturday they were generously shared among the community.
The people doing the sharing were Jim Mellor and Altan Zaandra, two very handy locals who raised hands to pass a bit of their wisdom on to fellow Vic Park Locals. Thank you, guys!
Around 15 people came along to learn at our workshop, which was a long time in the making and will surely take place again! It was a pleasure to host it, in loco, just before our Centre gets a fresh coat of pain this week (courtesy of Department of Communities).
Vic Park Skill Share series has been running since January, and a conversation about sharing handy skills started at the Vic Park Community Network Facebook group in early March. People in the community let us know what they would like to learn and we set out to find those willing to share their skills.
The Skill Share was delayed due to Covid19 safety restrictions. We wondered if it would be possible to run the workshop online, got busy trying to keep community connections with social distancing in place, and finally woke the projected up in September! It's been worth the wait!
We are hoping this is just the start. The group who came to the workshop discussed what will come next, and it seems fixing leaky taps is one of their priorities. It may take a little while for another workshop to get organised, but rest assured we'll be on to it.
In addition to being handy, we have hosted Skill Share workshops on slow fashion, keeping backyard chickens, using zoom for social connection, and veggie gardening. So please let us know what other skills you would like to learn or share with your community. Drop a comment below or a line to project@vicparkcc.org.au.
Covid19 may have thrown us a curve ball, forcing us to distance from each other just when community is most needed. But it has also made it more clear than ever: solidarity is strength!