Our Mission

Maplewoodshop’s mission is to help all children develop life skills through woodworking. We achieve this mission by training, equipping, and supporting schools and camps nationwide.

The Passion that Drives Maplewoodshop

Every child deserves to realize their full potential. Yet, for decades, well-intentioned people have believed there was only one path to success—a college degree. This approach has led to a series of unsettling statistics:

  • 6th graders are thinking of dropping out of school

  • Student college debt is $1.7T2

  • Deloitte projects a GDP loss of $2.5T over the next ten years due to a lack of skilled workers

What can we do about this? We can help students understand there are many ways to succeed in life, that college vs vocational is not an either-or decision given dual enrollment programs at community colleges.

Maplewoodshop’s mission is to help ALL students develop life skills through woodworking, and we are evolving that mission to include other trades. We accomplish this mission while reinforcing classroom learning; aligning with national, state, and trade standards; promoting development of life skills; and encouraging exploration of career paths.

We are proud to have created safe, portable, and easy-to-implement programs that enable students to:

  • discover the intelligence in their hands

  • develop life skills from learning trades

  • gain emotional intelligence

  • practice design thinking

  • demonstrate collaboration skills

This year, we are adding additional projects around millwrighting, pile driving, green energy, and more for students to discover the intelligence in their hands and explore a variety of careers. We will keep adding new trades and skills that are high demand, high skill, and offer the potential for high wages.

We are proud to be endorsed by the Eastern

Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters to facilitate implementation of their Career Connections curriculum. We are also proud to have earned the Teachers Best of STEM award for best summer program.

How can we help your students? Please contact us so we can learn your goals.