Girls display recycled pallet desks created during GETT camp
Girls ages 12-15 got an opportunity to attend a week-long trades and technology camp at Saskatchewan Polytechnic this month.
Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) camps provide participants with a safe, supportive environment to explore the tools, equipment and skills needed for a trades and technology career. GETT campers are taught a variety of trades and technology skills with the final project being a desk made of recycled pallets.
Girls are introduced to women who work in a variety of predominately male occupations who spend time promoting the importance of career awareness through activities with the participants.
Each girl gets a chance to use tools and participate in a collaborative way, making creative decisions as they build their personalized recycled pallet desk. “GETT girls are encouraged to be inventive and problem solve. There are many ways to repurpose a recycled pallet. We are excited to see what the girls create,” shares Jessica Baldwin, Women in Trades & Technology (WITT) provincial facili- tator. “The result is a week of girl-power where campers see themselves in an otherwise overlooked technology and trades occupation.”
One of the instructors for the GETT camp, Sherry Froess, taught the carpentry camp. She says this program is important for girls in order to let them know that they too can get involved in the trades. “The girls got to learn how to use some of the different saws, drills and learning what it’s like to reclaim wood which is always a good thing instead of throwing it in the dump. They’ve been having lots of fun learning how to create different things,” she said. “I think it is important for the girls to learn that it is not just men who can do this type of work and if they want to, they can also go into the trades. The girls also got an opportunity to find out how cement works, learnt about safety and lots more. It was great to see the progress that the girls made throughout the week.” Students Ashley Adkins and Grace McWilliams said they enjoyed the camp and learned a lot. “It was fun but also hard work. I’d definitely come back here next year,” said Ashley. “I liked how they let us explore and use the tools ourselves. They supervised but they allowed us to use the tools and figure out how they work. They also introduced us to a lot of different things,” added Grace. GETT camp sponsors include SaskPower— presenting sponsor, and CAE— Moose Jaw Campus sponsor. GETT camps are run by Sask. Polytech’s WITT program. WITT was greatly influenced by the women who founded Saskatchewan Tradeswomen in the 1970s, a movement that eventually formed Saskatchewan Women in Trades and Technology. These women were leaders in a national movement to bring likeminded women together to remove barriers in traditionally male occupations.
Sask Polytech’s WITT program has evolved over the past 30 years, but the goal remains the same to encourage and assist women interested in trades and technology careers.