The program helps youth build confidence and learn a skill they can show off. And before we forget to mention school social worker and National Association of Social Workers member Michael Czerwonka came up with the idea to link students with the Woodchucks woodworking club.

“A lot of the kids were, ‘You didn’t make that! You’re in seventh grade like me,’” Czerwonka said. “You can just see the pride they take in the work they do.”

To read the full story, click here.

And to learn more about how social workers such as Czerwonka help young people, visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” youth Development Web page by clicking here.

Photo: Eighth grader Nick Templeton works on a book case. Photo by Dan Lassiter.