Two days of construction gave Robbie and his friends a chance to change someone’s life.
A tiny house on wheels. That was what Robbie and five other LCH students needed to build during the Level Up! Career Fair, a two-day event hosted by Skilled Trades Ontario in London.
Level Up! introduces students to future opportunities as electricians, plumbers, car mechanics, home builders, and other in-demand tradespeople. This past year, LCH was one of three local schools invited to construct tiny homes for a homeless program in St. Thomas.
“We all got the same specs and materials to construct a small home on a wood platform fitted with wheels,” says Robbie, a Grade 12 student. “That way it could be moved from one place to the next whenever it’s needed.”
Building the Shell of the Home
For two full days, Robbie and the LCH crew measured, sawed, leveled and nailed together the exterior of the home—the only team to make it that far.
“It wasn’t technically a competition, but everyone wanted to get the most done on their tiny house before the end of the second day,” he adds.
Local builders completed each build, picking up where the students left off and ensuring the tiny homes can be used to support the unhoused.
Working as a Team to Help Others
Besides gaining construction know-how, Robbie constructed valuable lessons. “As a team, we hadn’t worked together before, but we found out how to share responsibilities and help each other,” he says, adding they also assisted the other two school teams to make it further in their builds.
Opportunities like Level Up! give students more than just skills training. “Our goal is to find as many learning experiences as possible for students,” says Jacky Dieleman, vice-principal at LCH.
“Participating in local events such as Level Up! offers students insight into the challenges our neighbours face, while also showing them how we can respond as followers of Jesus to these needs.”
