Good Vibes Only: Empowering girls, one tool at a time
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)— A group of local girls is ready to tackle basic home repairs following a hands-on workshop this summer.
For four days, 15 Girl Scouts learned all about drywalling, plumbing, toilets, faucets, woodworking and electricity. The workshop was hosted by the SheBuilds program by Rebuilding Together El Paso.
SHEBuilds ‘N Drills aims at empowering women to do home repairs, allowing them to learn about these skills and further develop them so they can do it themselves.
It also allows participants to bond with others.
Some participants spoke to ABC-7 about their experience. For many, this was their first time trying something like this out. They understand the importance of knowing how to do basic home repairs.
"Sometimes, like when I'm home alone, like, something will happen, and it's important because, so we don't have to, like, be panicking and have to call somebody,” said 12-year-old Noelle Beltran.
The workshop helps girls feel confident and competent in this field.
14-year-old Elizabeth Larin said she enjoyed being introduced to this field that is male-dominated.
“I really do feel like I'm going to take these skills with me. And honestly, as I grow as a person, I will definitely keep having these skills on me at all times,” she said.
Some said their favorite portion of the workshop was learning about the toilet, and others said they enjoyed drywalling.
Instructor Liliana Slosar said these skills will come in handy in the future. She said she enjoys teaching the next generation of girls how to tackle these tasks.
"We’re empowering them, that, we're giving them knowledge on what to do around the house. I know that there there's some girls I mentioned that their parents are deployed. You know, sometimes it's just mom, and, you know, so they'll be able to help out and know.”
Slosar also said these girls will be able to save money since they won’t have to hire someone to do the repairs.
"They could do it themselves. They could save themselves money, and they won't be panicking, you know. ‘What do I do? Who do I call?’ When it's an easy repair?”
The girls also got a tool bag with all the essential tools for the week.
If you want to learn more about the SheBuilds program, click here.
