Children Are the Future

It is imperative for those of us in the skilled trades to demonstrate our love for our craft and inspire the next generation of builders and makers.

It is imperative for those of us in the skilled trades to demonstrate our love for our craft and inspire the next generation of builders and makers.

In the song “ Greatest Love of All,” Whitney Houston sang, “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier.”

How powerful are those words? Each of us has the capacity to teach children and help them find their way. For some of us, that means working with children daily, serving as a teacher/mentor. For others, it means sharing our trade with children once a year at a job fair, welding competition, or other career event.

Fortunately, we are not alone. Organizations that focus on children and lifelong achievement are out there. In 2019, Weld Like A Girl™ earned a credential as a certified Kids At Hope (KAH) school. KAH believes all children are capable of success, no exceptions. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to provide students with the tools, skills, and support they need to develop lifelong success. As such, we understand there will be times we are face-to-face with kids who are challenging, but we need to set an example and become Treasure Hunters: those who always find the good in children. Children and adults are encouraged to recite their roles. The KAH pledge for children is as follows: “I am a Kid at Hope. I am talented, smart, and capable of success. I have dreams for the future, and I will climb to reach those goals and dreams every day. All children are capable of success, no exceptions!” The Treasure Hunter’s pledge for adults is as follows: “As an adult and a Treasure Hunter, I am committed to search for all the talents, skills, and intelligence that exist in all children and youth. I believe all children are capable of success, no exceptions!”

As an example, when a local charter high school student joins us on their first day, we introduce welding safety and orient them with the welding process of the day. In under three hours, they are welding on our current community sculpture/fabrication project. Do we worry the newbie will miss the mark and need to have someone reweld their work? Absolutely not. Day one (and, in fact, the first month) is all about empowerment and building confidence. Kids may weld uphill on day one, but only we know they are welding on a part that will be literally buried under 12 tons of rock by the time the job is complete. The important part is that they are instantly part of our team.

As an organization that regularly teaches people from five years old to 88 years young (so far), Weld Like A Girl understands the logistics of inviting minors into our facility. That’s why we carry insurance on our school and instructors. We have a waiver that must be signed by parents/participants upon arrival. We do background checks on our staff/interns/volunteers. We always have multiple coed adults with all children. It’s a lot of effort, but it’s all worth it in the end. As Whitney Houston sang, children are our future. It is our responsibility as professionals to encourage, inspire, and educate them. Don’t just target high schools; introduce welding to students of all ages. The payoff to our industry, society, and country will be invaluable.

This article was written by Shanen L. Aranmór for the American Welding Society.

Shanen L. Aranmór, MS, NCC, CWI/CWE, founder, chief wellness welder, Weld Like A Girl™