In Her Hands - Empowering Women Through Building

Help us raise the start-up funds for In Her Hands, a non-profit project providing a pay-what-you-feel workshop space for women in West Sussex.

Www.inherhands.org

What is In Her Hands?

In Her Hands will be a non-profit community project that aims to dismantle the inaccessible nature of building to allow a productive and empowering space for women (trans and non-binary inclusive!) to learn and explore the fundamentals of construction. Having basic skills with tools can transform lives, even if it just means gaining simple DIY independence. It is an under looked and unaddressed mobility issue that has a seemingly straightforward answer – representation and equal learning opportunities. 

Taught and facilitated by women, we aspire to create an enthusiastic and uplifting learning environment where we approach core fundamental building skills with access to tools, bench space and supportive guidance. Here, mistakes will be encouraged as an important way of learning and we will aim to use as much waste and recycled wood as possible, not only for ethical reasons but so we won’t feel precious about making mishaps. There will be an outdoor fire pit with a communal garden hangout space, and through an inclusive and un-pressured atmosphere we will aspire to create a sense of community. 

Our weekly pay-as-you-feel workshop days will work on a donation basis so that inclusivity and accessibility remain a priority. No matter your age or background you will be welcome. We will also offer support and outreach to specific community groups working with women on a scheduled on-going basis to build upon a set of skills and confidence. Our priority is to create a space that abolishes gender inequality around learning building skills and therefore we stand strongly inclusive with trans and non-binary folk. 

The workshop will be based near Steyning, West Sussex, 30 minutes from Brighton. 

What needs funding?

In order to begin the project, we need to renovate a barn into our workshop space and attain all the tools, materials, PPE and basics needed to start up and get going. Therefore we have decided to raise money for the start-up costs of the project, which are outlined in more detail below. If we raise any more money than our initial target, this will go straight into the running costs of the project, which includes everything from rent to up-cycled wood, ongoing screws and jigsaw blades! 

Start up costs:

Workshop

We are currently renting and renovating a characterful old stable barn just outside of Steyning, West Sussex (14 miles/30 minutes from Brighton). The barn came to us in bad condition, with rotting wood and lacking structural support. 

We have been in the process of getting it up to scratch but need funds on top of the rent to finish the renovation, such as timber for structural woodwork, insulation, screws, and tools. We are accepting volunteers to help us renovate, see the website for more details!

How we started:

How we're going:

Tools:

The project is starting from ground-up and so needs all the necessary tools to get started. Our tool requirements are relatively basic in the scale of building, but we do need everything ranging from tape measures, hammers, electric screwdrivers, a jigsaw, circular saw etc. If you have any tools to donate please contact Georjie at [email protected]

Materials and collection/delivery funds:

We aspire to use as much waste and upcycled wood as possible in all our workshops and open days. Although this will be more cost effective than buying new wood, it’s not without purchase or delivery cost. We will also need other materials such as screws, fixings, drills and drill bits, nails, blades, saws etc. We are developing some local contacts and initiatives for sourcing upcycled wood but are always needing more, if you have any wood, materials or ancilleries to donate please drop us an email! :)

Garden and kitchen set up:

We are making a humble outdoor garden space with a modest kitchen set up so that we can have our own access to water, food and drink preparation space and cooking facilities. We are gathering as many donated parts as possible but we will need to buy the plumbing elements, screws and materials for the build up. 

PPE + Health and Safety:

Working with wood and other building materials will require PPE – mainly dust masks, eyewear, gloves and ear protection. We will also need to keep our first aid kit topped up and provide sanitation as we will be working with wood that may have gotten dirty in its ageing. We will also need to use funds to help us keep a clean and safe working environment, such as vacuum cleaning bags and extra safety parts to be added to donated tools.

Is the money raised funding any salary?

Nope! Currently we are not asking for any funds to go towards paying a salary or income. Every hour of this project so far has been voluntary. This will set to change once the project is up and running and workshops are being skilfully facilitated, but it will be funded separately and will not come from this crowdfunder.

Backstory :)

My name is Georjie (she/her), and I have been in the process (that is still ongoing) of building my own 'tiny home' for 4 years. I started off with almost zero experience in building, I could barely use a drill and had no practical understanding of engineering or architecture. On starting the project, and throughout most of the building process, I had no teacher or physical help. I relied entirely on basic intuition - something I believe we all have - which I was excited to learn is enough of a groundwork to use standard tools and materials. Then, accompanied with determination and a dose of perseverance, I trialled-and-errored my way into gaining a deeper understanding of woodwork and construction principals.

It was nothing short of an enlightenment to learn that building, at least in fundamentals and everyday basics, was simple! My mind started unpicking years worth of comments, social examples (and lack of), media/imagery and my educational experiences. All of it had enforced a narrative that it is not a woman's place, it's just not the way of things. Developing my building skills has been the most empowering and important experience of my entire life. Nothing has brought me the same sense of confidence and independence as such a simple set of skills. I'm determined that this is something all women and non-binary folk should get the fair and equal chance to explore and learn should they want to, for both their own ability to live independently without reliance on others for basic household DIY tasks, and for the empowering impact it has on our sense of self-capability and resilience.

How else can you help?

If you can't afford to donate but would like to support the project, you can help up by:

• Speaking about the project and sharing the word! Let your friends and family know what we are planning on doing and register your interest on the website www.inherhands.org
• Following and sharing the @inherhands_org instagram page and keep up to date with our plans and updates 
• Donating tools and materials! We need initial and ongoing supplies of excess wood, pallets and screws + ancillaries and tools! Please get in touch if you think you could help us in this way, it will provide huge support to the project! [email protected] 
• Donating time! There are many different ways to help and get involved, ranging from helping us build the workshop, working in the garden and logistical support delivery and collecting wood + materials. Register your interest on the website www.inherhands.org

Thank you!!!