It’s A Wrap!

And… it’s a WRAP!

We had an amazing week.  We did all the things – woodworking, team-building, spacial thinking, problem solving, finishing, even a little tool-making including metal work, forging and, of course, pizza-eating!  See all our photos here, just updated:  OOPS we Did it Again!

On Friday we had a party, and had an amazing turnout from the city!  See this post from none other than Coco Alinsug on Facebook:


I joined Essex County District Attorney Office DA Paul Tucker and his staff with my fellow City Councilors Obed Matul, Natasha Megie-Maddrey, Esq., and Pete Meaney with Sean Reid, Lynn School Committee Member as we joined community leaders and staff at The Brickyard Collaborative as we cheered on our Lynn English High School kids who are part of Frank Grealish’ Kayak and Sail Lynn project of teaching them how to build a boat from scratch. Good job, everyone.
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Want to help?  Tomorrow we present our grant request to the Lynn Citizen’s Advisory Board for funding to continue the program.  You can find the Board here, and see who represents your Ward – Send them a note to let them know you support what we’re doing!

Want to donate to us directly and help keep us going?  Go here: Donate! for all the information you need.

Be sure to stay tuned, we’re planning another build in April and a launch during April vacation!

OOPS! We Did It Again!

That’s right!  For February Break, the kids came back to the Brickyard to build another boat!

This time, rather than start off from scratch, they’re doing the stuff “behind the curtain” – learning how to complete and finish the boat, along with actually forging some of the tools they need.

Stay tuned for more photos…  more to come this week!

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Help Us Help Lynn!

Since the beginning, we’ve worked hard to make our resources available to everybody who wants to be a member. We have, since we started, run a pretty significant sponsorship program.

We don’t ask a lot of questions, all we really need to know is that there’s a need, and there’s a desire to create, collaborate and learn and be part of our Brickyard community.  We’ve helped out quite a few people – Right now we have two teachers from the local schools, who bring in classes of kids to use our RISO printer, two students working on their degrees, one person with a disability, one Veteran and a couple of single parents.  All told, this represents nearly $1500 of sponsored fees per month, or $18,000 per year.

In past years some of this has been covered by grants, but honestly, we cover most of this expense out of pocket.  We don’t talk about it, we don’t make a big thing about it, we just do it, and welcome folks into our community.  But, of course, we could use some help and support.  These memberships are for anybody with a need, primarily for Lynn residents, or people who grew up here…

Want to help us out and sponsor a member?  It’s easy.  Donate any amount, any level on this page using PayPal – you can use a PayPal account, or a debit or credit card: Donate

You can also send us a check, to The Brickyard Collaborative, 589 Essex St #207, Lynn, MA 01901.

Thanks, and as always, “Keep making stuff. Take care of people, play nice and clean up after yourselves!”

…and the FIRST PLANKS!

Well, first, a heartfelt THANK YOU to the generous donors who have helped us get closer to meeting our goal!

Second, work in the shop has begun!  What you see above is the boatbuilder’s “form” (or “jig”, or “temporary frames”) around which the boat will be built.  And here’s a photo of the first plank as it was put in place:

This build will happen over the course of December and January, and it serves, with the help of the kind folks at Community Boatbuilding, to help us learn the finer points of teaching the process.  Once complete, this will go to the fine folks at Kayak and Sail Lynn for use by the kids and veterans of Lynn.

In the meantime, of course, we’re still looking for your help!  Follow this link, donate what you can, and help us build our program!  Donate to The Brickyard here!

More to come!