FORGE hosts its 2nd annual Girls Construction Camp
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – FORGE is hosting its 2nd annual Girls Construction Camp.
FORGE is a nonprofit organization focused on advancing skilled trades and preparing the next workforce.
This 5-day event aimed at middle school girls teaches them about all the different types of opportunities in construction.
Young women from all over the state are learning different types of skilled trades.
This is all to expand their knowledge of the opportunities available to them, in what’s typically a male-dominated field.
“These are lifelong skills you can use or help other people with,” said student mentor Annabelle Brislin.
Executive Director of FORGE, Melinda Lowe, said more and more women are going into skilled trades, and this gives the girls an advantage if they choose to go that route.
“We love doing this or having this opportunity for girls because girls in the construction industry, that is an underrepresented group, and we love having that opportunity to show them that they can do (anything), they are strong, they are powerful,” Lowe said. “They can go out and do these things, too. It’s a rewarding career, and we’re just showing them the basics and learning, and just kind of allowing them to know more about it so that maybe they want to do that when they get older.”
Sierra Case is in the building construction science program at Mississippi State University.
Through volunteering, she gets to share her journey of how she got to where she is today, and hopes to inspire generations behind her.
“I didn’t think that it was like an option for me to do something like this growing up,” Case said. “If I would have known or if I had an opportunity to experience this, it would have saved me like two years of college trying to figure that out. For younger girls, it’s so inspiring, even for me as an older girl because not only is it building like construction know-how and just the basics of it, but these girls are so confident.”
Some of the camp veterans who took part last year have come back as mentors to pour into younger campers.
“This is very important for women because women need to learn these life skills,” said student mentor Amiya Mage.
“For me, it’s really, truly kind of close to my heart because my family, we grew up in the industry, and they’re all pretty much males in that industry. And so I kind of want to add on to like the family tree, and seeing other people with the same dream as me is, is very, very truly special,” said student mentor Lilly Rush.
It’s 11-year-old Jayden Marsh’s first year at the camp, and she hopes to walk away with more knowledge, friends, and memories.
“You want to learn more stuff during this cause, I mean, this stuff’s really fun, and you’re doing different stuff with all the girls. My brother does it, my mom and dad do it, and I wanted to be a part of that just to do different stuff and come out of my shell and try new things,” Marsh said.
And this year, they’ve added a community service project to the camp.
Using the skills they’ve learned, they will build 8 food pantries to place around the Columbus area and serve others in the community.
“It means a lot to me because my mom does pantries around the community, and I’ve seen how her love for service has affected other people. And for me to be a part of something like that, it really touches my heart. Our community is what builds us and the people around us; they really shape us and our experiences. So to be able to give back to them is really one of the most powerful things you can do,” said student mentor Brooklyn Sanders.
Lowe says at the end of the camp, she hopes the young women will walk away knowing they can do whatever they set out to do.
“Any time that we can influence a young lady to join this industry, we’re going to do it,” Lowe said.
