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Barrio Works (BW) is a hands-on workshop, focusing on bike repair, metal
working, and wood working, designed to help youth develop technical trade
skills, life skills, and inner character that will be valuable for them in the
marketplace. Community involvement through hobbyists, local tradesmen, mentor
figures, and even potential employers brings a wealth of knowledge and
experience through our doors on a weekly basis. We also seek to encourage
involvement of father figures from within the community to facilitate stronger
family ties and stability. In short, Barrio Works provides a space in which we
hope young men and fathers (although, girls and mothers are welcome too!) will
stay engaged in the community and be excited to give back by mentoring the
younger generations that grow up behind them.
Additionally, Barrio Works is designed to give youth training, knowledge and
confidence to start small enterprises on their own. As a foundational component
of NM’s broader workforce development initiative, BW gives at-risk 3rd – 12th
grade boys and girls early exposure to the world of work through an on-site,
hands-on, organic model of social entrepreneurship. Through small business
models, like our Barrio Bike shop, we seek to employ youth from our community
and generate income to fold back into our programs. Furthermore, we seek to
foster the entrepreneurial spirit in our youth, encouraging them to develop
small business models of their own, creating jobs in our community. Ultimately,
the graduate of Barrio Works is a youth empowered to give back to his own
community, having developed the life skills required for progressive employment
and having been exposed to the holistic love of Jesus Christ through BW's built
in theology of work, relationships and family.
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