Territory, a youth-based design studio, didn’t have to look far to find the property they needed for their summer woodshop program.
The Austin-based organization, where people build better futures for themselves and their communities, was in search of a woodshop conveniently located to their studio when they realized there was a functioning woodshop just down the street.
Though the woodshop had been shuttered since 2018, after Territory revitalized the location in La Follette Park, it became the new home of their summer woodwork design program.
“That particular space already exists in our community, but it wasn’t functional or active, and it just needed a little bit more care, a little bit more love to be up and running,” said Ashanti Leach, Territory’s community impact specialist, of the facility at 1333 N. Laramie Ave.
The location will be used as a woodworking studio that Territory youth can use to bring their creative designs to life. The teens come up with their own project designs and see the building process through to the end.
According to Nicole Castro, Territory’s lead facilitator, teens have expressed that this responsibility – being able to handle the creation of designs from beginning to end – is especially important to them.
“I think they really enjoy that aspect of being in the wood shop, being able to see their design go from an idea to the finished product,” Castro said. “I think them being able to stay from the beginning of their process to the very end is very important and pushes them to be able to take that ownership.”
However, many of these teens have not had experience with woodworking and their schools lack opportunities to explore design, construction and architecture, Castro said. Thus, Territory is looking for volunteers from the community to participate in the summer program by teaching youth woodshop safety and leading them through their respective projects.
The opportunity will be open to any community members willing to help youth produce their projects, including designers, architects and city planners.
“For people in those professions, it really helps the teens know a little more and it’s just a good way to be able to connect the teens in those fields that some are really interested in or bring a broader view to the conversation, to their projects,” Castro said.
Last summer, teens created everything from benches to tables to decks, even dealing with building on an uneven foundation. One of the most creative projects was a welcome heart arch for the Territory space.
A nearby daycare even commissioned a heart arch of their own later in the summer, which allowed the teens to improve on their original design.
“I think with every iteration of a project that they do, they kind of are able to expand their skills,” Castro said. “Since they already did it once, they’re like, ‘Okay, we got this. How can we create the design better?’”
This summer, one of the projects the teens will focus on is creating a fence for Territory’s space, after community workshops that will take place in June and July to collect community feedback on what the fences should look like.
Leach would encourage people to volunteer in the woodshop to make intergenerational connections and engage with the community, while helping the youth to take away important life skills from the program.
“I want our youth participants to know that it’s the process that matters,” Leach said. “The process of getting a chainsaw and a saw, I think that’s the whole point. That’s the experience and the fun part is just being there because we’re fun. I think we’re a fun team.”
If you’d like to volunteer with Territory, follow them on Instagram at @territorynfp where you’ll find a volunteer form. Or go to its website at territorychicago.org.