LIKE US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It is time to make ourselves known by launching our social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! We will be posting progress updates, our funding status, and articles that inspire us. Also, things that generally make us happy.

Click on the icons below to follow us on social media and get the word out!

ON THE HUNT FOR A SHOP SPACE

The donation of a shop space or bay would reduce our start up and operating costs by a lot (we mean a lot, a lot!). If you know of a local business or individual who would be able to donate a suitable space for evening and weekend use, please let us know!

Monetary Donations

Know of any programs, grants, or scholarships? We want to know about ’em. Donation pledges from industry partners are also anticipated and welcomed.

WHAT IS THE RED BENCH?

We seek to create a low-barrier, membership-based space for women to explore a skilled trade on their own terms by providing access to a fully-equipped workshop. The Red Bench will provide tools, hardware, and consumables for free use as part of a membership agreement.

The first iteration of the shop will offer members access to basic hand, power, and metalworking tools. As membership and the demand for equipment grows, we foresee subsequent iterations of our operational capabilities by expansion in stages to include woodworking, automotive repair, blacksmithing, and plastic working. The acquisition of larger equipment such as a mill, lathe, and 3D printer would accompany such developments.

The Red Bench aims to become a community hub that shapes a more diverse culture in trades and technology. We have a practical goal and a community goal. The practical goal is to inspire women to develop confidence in their technical ability, work with tools, make or build things, and pursue a hobby or career in a skilled trade. The community goal is to bring women from all walks of life to one place where they can be themselves, make new friends, mentor or be mentored, and share ideas.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

We’ve been working on The Red Bench in stages from June 2020 to present. We have successfully completed two development stages, “concept” and “commitment”, and are in the midst of the “traction” stage.

Concept Stage

The concept stage involved defining our idea and ruminating about how to make it happen. Every week since June, we have met at the kitchen table (or Mackenzi’s car) to work on progressing it forward. It started with a running list of ideas, community goals, and funding targets.

Commitment Stage

Next, we moved to the commitment stage where we named our idea and incorporated it. In September, our idea was born as “The Red Bench Women’s Workshop Corporation”, a private corporation registered in Alberta, Canada. It was an exciting day! Although we are a private corporation, our operations will be net-zero. This means that all donations of physical and monetary assets to the business stay within it, with no profit gained by any individual.

We got to creating a website right away. We assigned ourselves duties within the corporation and created basic membership, insurance, and safety protocols as well as a code of ethics and a Covid-19 response. 

Traction Stage

We are currently in the traction stage which involves launching our social media, establishing a newsletter, presenting our business plan to the public, and seeking sources of funding. The next few months will involve arranging meetings with professional contacts to gain support. Here we will present our business plan and make the pitch for pledges of financial support and equipment donations. The main donation we seek now is a shop space.

Help in the traction stage is very welcome, however you see fit 🙂

Thank you very much for reading! Tune in next month for more from us at The Red Bench.

Sincerely,

Mackenzi and Jolene