Making a box to remember the past was suggested to me by an exhibit of bentwood boxes made by indigenous people to honour the grandmothers. We copied this idea, combining it with a wish to give children a chance to work with wood. The design allowed children to successfully and safely assemble an attractive wooden box.
The wood cutting and drilling was done by volunteers in the community organization “Men’s Shed Vancouver West End” by retired seniors. This organization is based in the West End Seniors’ network and located in a space donated by Hostel International Vancouver.
After many attempts, the design was finalized. A red cedar block was drilled for locating pegs, then sawn into labelled parts with our bandsaw. The parts were packed into a small cardboard box to form a kit.
Gordon Neighbourhood House organized children to assemble the kits. As this was the first workshop, three volunteer seniors were present. The children were each given a kit. The children were between 8 and 10 years old. The workspace with kit, tools and materials was set up in cooperation with Gordon Neighbourhood House.
The children arranged, glued, trimmed pins, sanded and finished their own box. They glued a Canadian penny into the lid, as well as adding their initials to the top and sides. The only break over this time was filled with a discussion comparing their lives to those of the seniors at their age. When he learned that a movie cost the senior 25 cents and a large chocolate bar 10 cents, one exclaimed, “I wish I lived then…. I would be rich!” The children worked steadily for two hours and left proudly holding their own memory box. The senior volunteers enjoyed the time with the children. Enough kits were made to allow for many more assembly workshops. The memory box project was very successful. It rewarded seniors for their work in preparing the boxes, organizing the workshop and tutoring the children. The children made their own box, prompting one to say, “I have never done woodwork before”.
These boxes, with their memories of working with seniors, will exist for many years in the care of the children
