Summer Project Update

This summer’s pilot project gave Banyan Tree the opportunity to work with 13      at-risk youth from a group home located in a rural Ontario. The objective was to participate in a constructive process: designing and building a strawbale bench.  The bench was built on their property, so it could be used by youth who live there.

The project was comprised of three working days; the design day, which took place at the learning centre and the building days which took place at the group home.

Banyan Tree board members traveled to the learning centre to meet the youth and plan the design. The session began with a slideshow about strawbale building and design. The youth were then given the opportunity to design their own bench with clay, following the criteria of creativity, durability, functionality and beauty. After lunch, each youth presented their designs and the group voted on their favorite bench, which on day three we would build.

On the way back to Toronto from the learning centre, some of the board members purchased the material and rented the equipment needed for construction. The following day the youth laid the foundation for the bench.

The youth had successfully completed the foundation when the Banyan Tree members arrived the next morning. Board members, youth and volunteers worked together to construct the strawbale bench. Tina Therrien, the strawbale constructor/teacher from Camelbacks Construction, directed the entire building process. Following effective instruction, everyone worked diligently to complete the bench, in spite of the rain.

Recap of the Workshop:

We began by gluing wooden blocks on the foundation to ensure stability.  Next we fastened vapour barrier to the foundation. After molding the strawbales into proper shapes, they were mounted to make the bench. The bales were then wrapped with Tenax. We then mixed the mortar and it was poured and smoothed onto the strawbale bench and left to dry. 

At the end of the project, we all sat in a circle to discuss our experience. Each board member elaborated on their backgrounds and the kids were presented with certificates of completion. This completed our last day. The youth were then given the opportunity to fill out evaluations about the summer project. The evaluations were very positive and useful for future projects. They even sent thank you cards that they made themselves. We believe that this small but effective workshop helped the participants with their confidence in decision making and leadership skills.

Our pilot project was a success, thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, most of all the youth and Tina. Furthermore, to protect the anonymity of the youth we would just like to thank all the staff at the learning centre!

Thank you,

Banyan Tree Community Initiatives