Girls with Drills
You might have spotted the #GirlsWithDrills hashtag or photos on-line. I caught up with Kisha Bradley to find out more.
Workshopshed: Hi Kisha, thanks for letting us know all about the campaign. Perhaps we could start with, what actually is Girls with Drills?
Kisha Bradley: #girlswithdrills is a campaign around equal opportunity. It’s a campaign people can use to start conversations about their experiences in making and get people thinking about access and barriers to making.
Workshopshed: Why did you create it?
Kisha Bradley: Ruth and I were both frustrated by the lack of confidence in children, especially girls, we work with. We wanted to start conversations. Why are so many people not able to access the vital skills needed for them to thrive in the future?!
Workshopshed: That’s a question a lot of people are asking. Practical skills are always going to be relevant and those who lack then could be at a disadvantage. Who have you helped with the campaign?
Kisha Bradley: Directly, with the funds from the tops, we’ve helped 135 children with mobile makerspaces in Sheffield and Nottingham. I’ve also started hosting beginner woodworking workshops for people to use a drill for the very first time. We’ve had a lot of stories during the workshop. One that sticks with me is of a woman whose husband passed. She said he did all the housework and left loads of tools she wasn’t ready to part with. She wanted to be able to understand his hobby, so attended one of our workshops and left with the confidence to at least use one of her late husband’s drill. It was heart touching, to say the least.
Workshopshed: That’s fantastic, a great way to remember someone. How can people get involved?
Kisha Bradley: Joining the newsletter is the absolute best way to get involved. This way we can let you know what we’re up to as we reach more people. We’re hoping to share resources in how to approach conversations about inclusive making and stories about a variety of people’s experiences in making. The easiest way to keep you all in the loop is through e-mail. We promise not to bombard you :)
Just having that conversation with people and using the hashtag when you make something is an easy way to get involved. To make a meaningful impact, you can involve a range of people in your projects and share the stories of people who are underrepresented.
To help us provide free maker sessions for children in disadvantaged areas, you can buy a top, volunteer or even make donations of your fave maker tools :)
Workshopshed: What next?
Kisha Bradley: I really want to get more people involved and hear more stories. The people who’ve reached out to us have been amazing and given us a warm response and shared the campaign further and wider than we could ever do on our own – and that’s how you achieve inclusion. It would be great to capture some of those stories by podcast, video, blogs or whatever creative ways makers can dream up! If you want to share, even if you don’t think you have a story, please do get in touch :) We can help you along the way and ask lots of questions. You can email us at [email protected] or Tweet me at @kisha_bradley
Workshopshed: And finally, what is your favourite drill?
Kisha Bradley: This is kind of silly, but my Bosch combi drill is my favourite. I worked for Bosch in Germany and have a lot of fond memories there. It’s also the first drill I’ve owned before buying 12 Black and Deckers for workshops!
Workshopshed: Thanks Kisha, I look forward to hearing of more success stories from #GirlsWithDrills
This post is sponsored by Cordless Drill Zone, a site for cordless drill reviews
Metal sculpture in brass, mounted on an 1800s French Coin
[…] was also my first interview of the year. Kisha from Girls with Drills explained how their project was helping people gain confidence with the help of DIY […]