Elaine has worked out a great team building program. It puts people together in groups, has them volunteer their suggestions and ideas, and shows them how to use tools that might be new to them. She pays attention to every individual contributor, and she is incredibly patient and kind. This project is perfect for school age kids to gain confidence with new situations!

Building picnic tables with The Girls at Work organization at last year's Ramble was such a positive experience. It was fun, I learned to problem solve, use some tools for the first time in my life, and found it to be a great team building experience.

No matter what your age is, Girls At Work empowers you. Here I was, a 55 year old woman who never held a drill in my hand, ended the task of building a picnic table from scratch with confidence and a sense of accomplishment. I didn't do it alone tho. I worked with a team of women, with mutual feelings of awkwardness and intimidation. The decision making and collaboration among the group connected us in a way we never expected. In the end, I made a new friend in Elaine and I learned that I could do it just as well as anyone else, with much laughter and high fiving. Honestly, when it was over I didn't want to put the drill down, but my job was complete and we all signed our names and thoughts underneath the tables we had built. A day I will never forget. Thanks Elaine!

I had the great opportunity to do a community build project with Elaine from Girls at Work this past summer. Her approach to teaching and empowering is simply amazing! I have been assisting with building projects since a friend and I built our first tree house 50 years ago, and yet Elaine taught me the planning skills that helped make so much more sense! I enjoyed the experience and her life lessons so much that I have contracted with her to do a team building session at our Head Start program this fall. What a wonderful experience - and an admirable life mission.

After making the benches, I felt stronger and more confident that I can do anything. It made me feel that girls can do just as much as boys.

I am so thankful for getting the opportunity to participate in Girls At Work. Working together and building the picnic tables allowed us the chance to show that girls can build and work with our hands too. It was a good break from the computer and being able to be free and to be able to use the power tools. I think that it built up some of our self confidence and showed us that if we don't give up on something, then we can do a phenomenal job. Yes, some of us knew how to use the power tools, but that gave us the opportunity to step up and help other people who did not. I would like to thank you for coming to DES and giving us this opportunity of making the picnic tables. We truly enjoyed working with you.

I had a lot of fun building and learning with friends I typically don't hang out with. I learned how to use a drill and worked with my teammates to build a picnic table. It will be neat to eat lunch with my friends using a table we built together. Girls can do anything they set their minds to!

The picnic table build was a great opportunity to see students work way outside their comfort zones and quickly gain confidence in a new skill. For my students who were already comfortable with tools, the build gave them a chance to shine and show their peers what they can do. The girls faced many different challenges throughout the day and came out stronger on the other side.