In this digital era, Mark Hawkins believes kids gaining experience in “building” something shouldn’t just mean Minecraft swords.
Because of their curvature and precise nature, Hawkins says the two hardest woodcrafts are musical instruments and boats — so it is with that in mind that he has chosen to spend the last eight and a half years teaching youth boatbuilding in Green Bay, resulting in more than 315 feet of built and restored vessels to date and, more importantly, hundreds of kids being “willing to give up their digital life for” the art and joy of working with their hands.
Hawkins says his primary motivations in 2016 when he launched Hands On Deck, the 501(c)3 education and mentoring organization, were to get kids disconnected from digital devices and learning traditional skills, as well as to create a much-needed pipeline for in-demand manufacturing careers.
It’s a tradition that got lost around World War II, he says.
A tall stack of books on Hawkins’ desk outlines American industrial arts curricula from the 1890s to 1930s — for elementary schools. (“Pre-war, that was a huge thing in this country,” he says.) That American tradition of engaging our youngest minds in the industrial arts and honing their fine motor skills from a young age gives Hawkins the confidence today to focus Hands On Deck’s programming on that ever-younger demographic, now reaching children as young as three.
One of the populations Hands On Deck has served since the beginning has been the region’s home school community. Hawkins says conversations with some of those parents helped inspire him to start engaging younger and younger students. Some toddlers and preschoolers would sit around looking at iPads while their older siblings attended Hands On Deck programs, and that wasn’t sending the right message.
“Younger kids aren’t as addicted to electronics; they’re more open-minded to things,” Hawkins says. “And so if I can help a kid fall in love with doing things with their hands at age 5, I can’t imagine anybody not thinking that’s a good thing. There’s nobody serving elementary like this, so I really just want to be where there’s a need.”
In addition to the home school community, Hands On Deck serves public and private schools year-round with in-school and after-school programming. There are also evening classes for all ages, including adults, and a variety of summer camps. The organization has even delved into the world of virtual learning in order to reach new audiences. And while not every project or class directly involves laying hands on a boat, every Hands On Deck program relates to woodworking and boatbuilding skills — which will always be the foundation of the nonprofit’s work, Hawkins says.
Hands on Deck recently relocated from South Bay Marina to 975 Parkview Road, and although the facility is somewhat smaller, Hands On Deck has been able to “right-size” its projects to focus on 14- to 16-foot off-center harbor skiffs and skin-on-frame canoes.
“We will always build a boat, whether it’s big or small,” Hawkins says. “That’s just a red line that goes through everything we do. Boats are who we are.”
Hawkins says building boats forces kids outside of their comfort zones, which he loves, and coming together to do a difficult thing is one of life’s greatest joys and lessons.
“And then you want to do it again,” says Hawkins, who acknowledges the organization’s “through the roof” retention rate is only ever hindered by Hands On Deck’s capacity.
Despite its big impact on education, Hands On Deck remains a small nonprofit, bolstered by youth staffers who volunteer their time, as well as a core group of more than 20 adult volunteers who are often just as inspired by their experiences working with 9-year-olds as the kids are by them.
“There’s never a dull moment,” Hawkins says.
Hawkins says Hands On Deck provides a safe space where kids can be themselves, as well as a mindful and regulatory experience.
“There’s no need for electronics when what they’re getting from that experience is so much better,” Hawkins says, “and they can’t even explain why.”
On the web: handsondeckgb.org
Listen: Mark Hawkins was a guest on the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast Dec. 19. Listen at insightonbusiness.com/podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts
