The Carpentry Academy gives its graduates the tools they need to succeed

Poverty is the root cause of much of the gun violence that plagues Philly and other major cities.

Not all of it, but a sizable enough portion of it, along with there being way too many illegal guns on the streets. Any program that equips at-risk youngsters with resources and job skills to support themselves and their families financially can help make a dent in the economic disadvantages faced by so many of the city’s young people.

That’s why programs such as Unity in the Community’s Carpentry Academy are so essential. The academy, which South Philly activist Anton Moore started last year, not only teaches participants how to hang Sheetrock and install flooring but also pays students $150 weekly stipends. I wrote about the program last summer, back when the first enrollees were still figuring out how to use their brand-new toolboxes. The day I was there observing, instructor George Palmer demonstrated the proper way to operate an electric saw.

Fast forward to a year later, all of the participants have gained experience using electric saws and everything else in their tool kits. The youngsters have rehabbed an outdated kitchen at the Dixon Community House in Point Breeze, built dressers, and made all kinds of repairs.

On Monday, the Carpentry Academy wrapped up its inaugural year with a graduation dinner at the NoMo Foundation’s South Philly headquarters. By the time I arrived, people were already eating and music was playing. The ballroom was bustling with proud parents, city officials, and, of course, the happy graduates, who each will receive $350 for completing the program.

There was a lot going on in that room. But my ears perked up when Ryan Boyer — who became the business manager of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council after John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty resigned last year — announced from the podium that each graduate would be accepted into an apprenticeship program, provided they completed program requirements and were drug-free.

“There’s a demand in every aspect of construction. We’re having a construction boom the likes of which we never saw before,” Boyer told me afterward. “With the infrastructure [law] that [President Joe] Biden passed, we’re going to need new construction workers. You have the major universities building. You have the proposed Sixers building. In fact, in 2022, we had more building permits than we’d ever seen in the history of Philadelphia.”

I asked, Will you have problems finding enough workers?

He responded, “We will not because of programs like this.”

As each grad went up to accept their plaque and City Council citations on Monday, I thought about all of the new opportunities that would be available to them now, thanks to the Carpentry Academy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual income for carpenters in Pennsylvania is $53,470.

In addition to teaching participants hands-on skills, the Carpentry Academy also provided mentoring by men such as Palmer, who rose from his seat at a table where he had been eating and literally wept as the graduates stepped forward to be recognized. “I’m crying because I’m so happy. I love them just like my sons,” he said. “They can do Sheetrock, floors, doors, light electrical. They put up ceiling fans. They did outlets and light plumbing, too.”

Watching, I couldn’t help but tear up a little, too.

At a time when so much is going wrong in Philadelphia, it felt good to celebrate young men doing the right thing. They not only figuratively but literally got their flowers that night — each young man was presented with a bouquet.

“You have accomplished something that will allow you to be independent in your life — to work when you want to work and to make as much money as you want to make legally, and to really have the skill to fix your house and to do things for your friends,” said Mayor Jim Kenney when it was his turn at the microphone. “I don’t have the ability to bang a nail in the wall. Every time I want to do something in my house, I have to call somebody because I’m afraid I’m going to mess it up. You guys have been under the tutelage of extremely skilled people, and I’m telling you, I couldn’t be more proud of all of you.”

Judging from the looks on everyone’s faces that night, we all felt the same way.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.