Carpentry students help rebuild roof
The FNRAEC Carpentry Program is proud to collaborate with the Kahnawake Home Repair Project, Habitat for Humanity Quebec, Volunteer Kahnawake, and Planit Kahnawake, making a difference in the community with the rebuilding of a community member’s roof. Courtesy Sophie Dalbec
Students at the First Nations Regional Adult Education Centre (FNRAEC) in Kahnawake are taking their carpentry training beyond the classroom through a community-centred construction project. This month, six students under the guidance of instructor Dan Phillips were rebuilding the roof of a local resident’s home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Quebec.
The initiative is not only about replacing shingles, but also about teaching hands-on skills, problem-solving on the job, and giving back to the community.
For Habitat for Humanity Quebec, the project aligns with its broader mission to make housing safe and affordable. “Our mission is to help families access home ownership,” said executive director of Habitat for Humanity, Sophie Dalbec. “We’re part of the housing ecosystem of Quebec in helping people have safe, affordable homes.”
When Habitat for Humanity announced its latest community outreach in August, FNRAEC immediately offered to get involved. “This was an opportunity for students to learn and do real projects that also benefit someone in the community,” Dalbec explained.
Phillips, who has been teaching carpentry for several years, said the project is a good learning opportunity.
“It feels very nice to help people when I have the chance,” he said. “It’s also cool because I’m teaching the program while giving students the opportunity to see real repairs and on-the-job training. When you open a roof, you find flaws that require adjustments right away. It’s a chance to teach people as they go into the construction field.”
Students are learning to adapt on the fly, manage unexpected obstacles, and prioritize safety and efficiency; lessons that go beyond any textbook.
Dalbec highlighted that involving students fits perfectly with Habitat’s educational goals. “Part of Habitat’s mission is transmitting knowledge and teachings,” she said. “Being able to bring different students on when we do builds, to me, this is gold.”
She added that collaboration, funding, and timing made the roof repair possible. FNRAEC supplied the tools, while Habitat for Humanity, with help from Home Depot, provided materials. “The roof was a costly project,” Dalbec said, “but partnerships like this make it possible.”
For student Hunter Deer, 30, the project has been both exciting and fulfilling. He said carpentry was always a goal for him, even though he initially tried welding. “Carpentry always just left me as more beneficial that I could use in the future, like in future home renovations of my own,” he said.
He described the project as a valuable opportunity to see carpentry on a larger scale. “I feel more prepared. I think (the instructor) does a really good job at preparing us for these real-world situations,” Deer said. “It makes me feel good, very happy. It’s benefiting someone who’s really using the help right now, especially with winter coming.”
Both students and instructors hope that projects like this one will inspire continued participation in the FNRAEC carpentry program. “I find a lot of people could benefit from this schooling,” Deer said, “and even just doing these projects for Habitat for Humanity would benefit a lot of people in the community.”
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As the project nears completion, all participants are proud of the impact they’ve made. “We’re really, really proud of Habitat for Humanity Quebec to be able to collaborate with everyone,” Dalbec said.
“Even if you have a good cause and a good mission, it’s not always easy to make it all happen. We’re very grateful working with the founder of PlanIt Kahnawake, Charleen Schurman; Volunteer Kahnawake; the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK); and FNRAEC. I think it’s the start of something that can continue.”
