A Pathway Back to Restoring the Dignity of Labor

More and more I hear high school students say, "I'm not college material; I think I'll just go do a trade".

My first thought? "Man, I hope they don't bring that 'I'll just do a trade' energy and attitude to a construction site, because they'll be a danger to themselves and everyone else around them."

Many people think that skilled craftwork requires minimal intelligence and less discipline to be successful. The truth is that skilled craftwork, no matter the discipline, requires competency of academic knowledge as well as the ability to work with your hands masterfully. It also demands that individuals have the commitment necessary to complete their educational program and work well with others.

For over two decades I've been committed to exposing young people to construction craftwork as a way to "restore the dignity of labor" and teach skills that can serve them for a lifetime.

3H Intro to Pre-Apprenticeship is hands-on training in basic construction safety, craftwork and technology for youth 12-17 years old. Our sessions are an introduction to self-sustaining skill sets and indigenous values that promote a responsibility to honor, respect, care for and protect self, family, environment & culture.

We choose to use construction & safety as a tool to reshape the narrative of LABOR and build sustainable pathways for future generations. We Build Legacy!

The 3H Intro to Pre-Apprenticeship seeks to neutralize the global skilled labor crisis by raising the standard of two themes...

1. Promoting diverse skill sets (Head, Heart & Hands training modules) We assist youth with increased confidence, attitude and freedom for navigating future opportunities.
2. Promoting indigenous values (UBUNTU - "I am because we are") This is an individual and collective responsibility to honor, respect, care for and protect self, family, our elders and the local environment.

This is how we reshape the narrative of LABOR and build sustainable pathways for future generations.

Over 120 years ago Booker T. Washington in his book Up From Slavery stated that, "We have lost the dignity of Labor". Labor was once a cultural RITE, that reminded individuals of their responsibility to themselves, their community and the environment. Through imperialism and colonization labor transitioned into the RIGHT to benefit from the arduous labor of another.

Our mission is to promote and restore pathways that anchor next generation professionals - no matter their career choice - into the fundamental indigenous practices of UBUNTU. Ubuntu is an isiZulu word based on South African philosophy meaning "I am because we are". It highlights a symbiotic relationship - between people, their livelihoods and their ecosystem - that involves solving local issues while not compromising the needs of future generations.

Photos: HC Plus visits with Professor Hassan Kaya Director of the Department of Science and Technology National Research Foundation, Centre in Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban South Africa.

For more information on the 3H Pre-Apprenticeship Workshop CLICK LINK