Since 2018, Talent Maker City instructors have traveled to Grants Pass each week to work alongside the young men at New Bridge High School, part of the Oregon Youth Authority school system. New Bridge serves students who are navigating significant challenges while continuing their education and preparing for what comes next in life.
Over the years, this partnership has grown into something deeply meaningful for our team.
**Out of care and respect for the privacy of the young men at New Bridge, we’re limited in the photos we can share - but this partnership has been full of creativity, growth, and meaningful connection over the years.
I still remember some of our earliest projects at New Bridge. We were building garden beds, planting vegetables and pollinator habitat, and introducing students to solar energy through hands-on installation projects. What began as a weekly educational program quickly became something much deeper. Year after year, we kept showing up, and so did the students. Relationships formed. Trust grew. And over time, New Bridge became one of the partnerships that helped shape not only Talent Maker City, but also my understanding of what education can be when it is rooted in creativity, consistency, and care.
Of course, we’ve taught technical skills - construction, robotics, screenprinting, rocketry, and design - but the truth is, we’ve learned just as much from the students there as they’ve learned from us.
We’ve learned about resilience.
About patience.
About humor in difficult moments.
About the importance of being seen and trusted.
And we’ve seen firsthand what can happen when young people are given opportunities to create, problem solve, and work together in meaningful ways.
Learning by Doing
One of the things we love most about our partnership with New Bridge is that the learning is always hands-on.
Together, we’ve built raised garden beds and planted organic food and native pollinator gardens - teaching students about growing food, ecological stewardship, and the critical role pollinators play in our ecosystems.
We’ve built a large storage shed on site, introducing students to basic construction skills, measuring, framing, teamwork, and tool safety.
We’ve explored robotics and rocketry, using 3D printers to prototype and refine designs through experimentation and iteration.
We helped establish their screenprinting setup and taught students the creative and technical side of printmaking - while also exploring something deeper through art: balance, patience, focus, and care.
One especially memorable collaboration came through our partnership with True South Solar, where students learned the basics of solar installation using demonstration roofing and panels while exploring introductory electrical wiring concepts.
These projects aren’t just about learning skills. They’re about helping students experience themselves as capable, creative, and connected.
Ry Heller from True South Solar demonstrating how to install solar panels at NBHS in 2019.
Art, Experimentation, and Creative Growth
This year, two incredible TMC instructors, Carlos and Amy, have been leading much of the programming at New Bridge.
Together, they’ve focused heavily on art-based programming while continuing to push their own creative practices as artists and educators. This year they both dove into experimenting with screenprinting on clay, then brought that process directly into the classroom there to share with students.
The result was a collaborative mosaic wall hanging that now reflects and celebrates the partnership between New Bridge and Talent Maker City.
That piece feels symbolic of the work itself: many hands, many stories, many experiences - all coming together to create something meaningful.
Carlos and Amy with the students at NBHS showing off their artwork
Amy shared, “Working with students at New Bridge High School has influenced my practice as an artist in many ways. In the beginning of the term Carlos and I were thinking of ideas of how we could make a long term project using clay tiles using various techniques to create an installation at the school. This project would push our ceramic skills and give us the opportunity for growth in the medium. Feeling a little vulnerable as we worked on the project opened up opportunities for the students to ask questions and be curious about the process.
One thing I noticed about working with clay is that it was about connection. Connecting with the sensory and the physical activity of the hands allows for a quiet focus that allows for increased attention that can help calm the mind.”
A quieter mind is something we all could use a little bit more of.
The Power of Creative Connection
When people think about workforce development or educational programming, they often focus only on technical skills.
But the work happening at New Bridge reminds us again and again that creativity, connection, and belonging matter just as much.
Sometimes growth looks like learning to safely use a drill or driver.
Sometimes it looks like designing a rocket fin on a 3D printer.
Sometimes it looks like discovering pride in a finished print or mosaic tile.
And sometimes it simply looks like showing up week after week and building trust together over time.
As I reflect on this partnership, I find myself thinking less about the projects we've completed and more about the people we've met along the way. The most important thing we've built together has always been relationships.
The young men at New Bridge have taught us as much as we've taught them. They have challenged us to be better educators, better listeners, and more patient humans. They have reminded us that growth is rarely linear, that creativity can open doors where words sometimes cannot, and that every person deserves opportunities to learn, contribute, and be seen for their strengths.
For me personally, this partnership has been one of the most meaningful parts of our work here at TMC. It has been a privilege to witness moments of confidence, curiosity, and pride emerge through making, often when they were least expected.
Thank you to the students, staff, and families who have shared this journey with us. We are honored to be a small part of your story, just as you have become an important part of ours.
We can't wait to see what we build together next.
With gratitude,
~Alli
Thanks for being part of our story and community - together we’re building a more connected, creative, and resilient place through hands-on making.
