Over the summer of 2025, our Advanced Design/Build team packed their work gloves and passports to head north to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia for a week with Mudgirls Collective.
We jumped right in on day one, learning about natural plaster down to a molecular level. Our very capable cohort mixed clay, straw, and sand to create the perfect consistency, then applied this plaster to the walls of a local ceramicist’s art studio and kiln shed. We also took on a breezeway roof project (a surprise to us when we arrived, but we LOVE a challenge) and, in the process, experienced that magical flow state moment when everyone is deep in their task: cutting wood, hoisting beams, raising roofs, and smoothing plaster.
After long days working on-site in the summer heat, we jumped in the lake, ate pasta by the harbor, kayaked through shimmering inlets, hiked a mountain for panoramic views, and shared meals filled with laughter and storytelling.
This was also a milestone trip as we said goodbye to seven graduating seniors, most of whom have been part of Girls Garage since they were 9 or 10 years old. Watching them work alongside younger students was a powerful reminder of what years in this space have given them: the skills to build anything, the muscle memory of working in a community of respect and care, and the confidence to demand and create those environments in their next chapters. As they head off to college and careers, our five returning students are already rising into leadership roles, ready to guide the next wave of Advanced Design/Build builders.
We are deeply grateful to Molly Murphy from the Mudgirls Collective for hosting us and sharing her deep knowledge, to the parents who navigated the international paperwork maze, and to our instructors, Evie, Tonia, Augusta, Emily, and Allison, for being the best directors of fun, mentors, and leaders we could ever ask for.
As we close out our summer and prepare for the upcoming fall session, we have so much gratitude for this group, for the generosity of our hosts, and for the reminder that when we build together, we build so much more than just structures.
