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  #1  
Old Fri 17 October 2008, 23:47
hennie
Just call me: Hennie #23
 
Roodepoort JHB
South Africa
How To Use Your Mechmate To Teach Others

Hi all MechMate builders.

Someone asked me this week a question on how to use your MechMate to teach others the skill in how to use the machine and the end product to help the previous disadvantaged.

All the South African builders know the history where the country came from and where we want to take it.This might not be the right question to ask in the current state of the economy local and overseas but the way I see it is that some of us had the chance in life to get somewhere and made something of it maybe at least for me it is time to give something back.

As a busness owner I often get peaple asking for work and 99 % of the time the first question I ask is what experiance do you have and 100 % of the time the reply is not enough to give that person work.
I did have the thought of using my Mechmate to do some skill training and to design a product that can help unskilled to earn a living.

I am going to ask a simple question to everybody that are willing to give their input .

I need some ideas to what can be made to help these peaple earn an income to feed their children?
" lets give them the fishing rod and teach them how to fish "

Regards Hennie
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  #2  
Old Sat 18 October 2008, 03:45
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Hennie, this subject has often crossed my mind and so far I could not see us, as individual MM owners, being able to do very much on this front. (aside from donating our interesting scrap shapes to crafters).

However, if there is already a teaching structure in place in a poor community (building, staff) where basic computer literacy and workshop skills are taught, then one can work with them. At minimum, one could get them interested and give them some free time on the MM to come and run their programs on our premises. At maximum, we could donate a MM to them and go and teach at their premises. But I think it needs to done under the umbrella of an already established organisation/institution.
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  #3  
Old Sat 18 October 2008, 17:43
William McGuire
Just call me: Bill
 
Weiser, Idaho
United States of America
Good topic...
My whole idea of building my MechMate was to help some struggling nonprofit groups in my area in a couple of ways...
1st: To get some of the clients interested and knowledgeable in both computers and the ability to actually produce something from the knowledge and
2nd: To teach these same folk the positive aspects and benefits of actually helping others while helping themselves. This will be done by designing various items needed by these small nonprofits such as beds, dressers and other items and actually making and donating these quality products with designs and extras rather than the simplest, cheapest items possible... hopefully letting the receivers know that they really ARE worthwhile people.

This will be done through third parties making these hopefully anonymous gestures.

I'll leave it to others to assess the project's worthiness..

Of course, all this depends upon my ability to learn wiring skills so this beast doesn't end up an 800 pound mobile hanging from my garage rafters...
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  #4  
Old Sat 18 October 2008, 23:21
hennie
Just call me: Hennie #23
 
Roodepoort JHB
South Africa
Gerald it is true what you say.

Although it is not an easy task I think that it is possable even if I can help a handfull.
I am going to start with speaking to the Local powers in charge and see what the outcome will be and if I see some interrest ,I will approach the local government.
We have a monthly busness chamber meeting and I think that is where I am going to plant the seed.( Note that most of the real strings that can be pulled attend this meeting ).

The main reason why I am looking into this is that next to my workshop is a soup kitchen and to see mom`s begging for food is not a nice sight specially children.If these peaple get that chance to earn a living even if it is just to get enough for a meal for the day then I would have succeeded.
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  #5  
Old Sun 19 October 2008, 00:01
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Hennie, at that level you could cut your scrap into letters of the alphabet, small rings (ovals) for picture frames and see if they get carried away for painting up....or for burning as fuel. (In this light, you could start collecting leftover paint from your colleagues for re-distribution)
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  #6  
Old Sun 02 November 2008, 18:10
servant74
Just call me: Jack
 
Nashville (Tennessee)
United States of America
Paint

I saw on a 'This Old House' episode where a non-profit in NewOrleans is accepting paint donations from individuals and contractors. They have several barrels they put similar colored paint (near white, colored, grey/light brown, dark paints) and just pour them together.

Eventually, they run a big paddle mixer in each when they have enough, and dispense it into bucket with sealed tops. They they sell it or use the paint for low cost housing.

You will probably never get the same paint color twice from them, but it recycles the paint.

Anyway, if it could be collected locally rather than having people store little dabs of paint that goes bad, it could be used for projects for non-profits like you were mentioning. Another good way to 'recycle' and 'reuse' paint.
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  #7  
Old Mon 03 November 2008, 04:05
smreish
Just call me: Sean - #5, 28, 58 and others
 
Orlando, Florida
United States of America
My fabrication shop does the exact same thing. ALL leftover latex paints are put into a waste collection drum and stirred. We use this "battleship grey: mixture to back paint all scenery and stuff. Fire code dictates that no bare wood leave our shop if going into a Guest area (like a hotel, convention center, etc.) SO, we use every drop!
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  #8  
Old Wed 09 May 2012, 00:40
Leatherman
Just call me: Johan
 
Roodepoort
South Africa
Hennie May I ask what happened to this idea of yours, as it is something really wanted to do when my bussiness took of five years ago but got brought down quickly by the people who can draw the right strings. I found they were looking out for themselfs more than thier fellow human beings.
They should learn from this forum.

I did some reading on the forum since we last spoke, no make that a LOT of reading. Have not STOPED reading since I registered. I am really hooked onto this MM thing. Read trought all your treads first and allow me to say that your work with the MM is top notch andit inspires me even more.

I am most properly going to spend the most of this week to just read up before I start. This really is a forum everybody that is a part of can be very proud of as I would be to be part of it.

It goes without saying that the information contained in this forum is priceless.
It is a very unselfish thing all you guys have done here aspially the initial buiders of MM who started this whole thing thank you for that.
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  #9  
Old Wed 09 May 2012, 10:26
hennie
Just call me: Hennie #23
 
Roodepoort JHB
South Africa
Johan, I got involved with the Round Table 2 years ago and through that I donated time and sometimes $$$ to some in need.

The thing with a small community as in plett where I was for 6 years is that some of the powers think only about them selves and my approach was not that successfull.The other thing is that the culture in the south Cape and in Gauteng is worlds appart.You can only help someone if they really want to be helped and to skill someone in something takes time and in some instances I gave some of these chaps a skill just to be poached by someone else for a R 5 increase in wages and usually it was for something that they saw in my shop and suddenly they sell my idea to the client and use my knowledge through the chaps that they poached from me.
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  #10  
Old Wed 09 May 2012, 11:38
Axel1966
Just call me: Axel
 
Paris
France
Very kind...
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