This fall, children in Wolfeboro will take a step up toward greater independence thanks to an innovative partnership between leaders with common values: empowering young women. Thirty area businesses will receive footstools, allowing young children to practice independence. Handcrafted by middle school girls, these stools uplift little ones, like Wren Arnold, to reach the sink faucet with self-sufficiency and confidence.
While some notice a need and move on, others take action to fill that need. Josh Arnold, Executive Director of Makers Mill and Brooklyn Raney, Founder and Program Director of Generation Change, fall into the latter category.
After ten years in education, Brooklyn noticed high school students struggling with mental health, particularly those lacking strong adult relationships during formative elementary and middle school years. Recognizing this gap, Brooklyn shifted her career focus to provide opportunities to foster mentor relationships and leadership skills at an earlier age. She founded Generation Change, which started as one-day programs nationwide, and evolved into a weeklong program for middle school girls, “Girls Leadership Camp.” Hosted by Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, this program brings together 60 campers from across the U.S., 20 high school mentors and 20 staff members who spend a week of their summer developing budding young leaders.
With Girls Leadership Camp built on personal and collaborative contributions, it was natural that Josh and Brooklyn would join forces. Their partnership was inspired by Girls at Work, Inc, a Manchester-based non-profit, that challenges the stereotype of gendered tool use and provides educational opportunities for girls to gain confidence using woodworking tools. Starting in 2023, the campers from Girls Leadership Camp spent a day learning to cut, drill, and sand in the woodshop at Makers Mill.
Josh, intuitive at attracting and organizing dynamic visionaries, enlisted the help of Payde Stockman, owner of Stockman Builders, and a design-build general contractor passionate about elevating female woodworkers. On job sites with female builders, Payde has observed a notable improvement in behavior, with everyone striving to be their best selves. When Josh, a childhood friend, approached Payde about a collaboration, Payde was excited for an opportunity to highlight the strengths and capabilities of young women. Of Josh, Payde said, “Whatever he touches, he always turns it into something good, so I knew this would be great.”
The projects were thoughtfully chosen based on real needs in the community. In 2023, the girls assembled, sanded, and painted bat houses to address bat habitat issues in the area, a few of which were donated to The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Stepstools were chosen in 2024, inspired by Josh’s own daughter’s frustration with public restrooms. Josh said, “I have a four-year-old who likes to be independent, and I want to support her in that. I can see how frustrated she is. She wants to do it herself.” Using sheets of marine-grade Baltic birch plywood, Payde pre-cut the parts for the stepstools with his CNC router to make the project achievable and rewarding within a day’s work. Under the guidance of Payde and Josh, the campers eagerly engaged with power tools such as the drill press, jigsaw, spindle sander, and palm sander. As they assembled the stools, their faces lit up with pride, reflecting the joy and sense of accomplishment of building something with their own hands.
Girls returning from the previous summer proudly shared the transformative impact of their hands-on experience at Makers Mill. One girl applied the skills she learned by constructing an organization unit in her closet. Another was eager to continue developing her new skills and signed up for a woodworking course. One girl fixed her bicycle and felt less hesitation about tackling a physical task. Others overcame their fear of using tools like the screw gun and now approach these tasks with enthusiasm. Collectively, their stories reflect a powerful sentiment, “I am capable.”
The collaboration between Makers Mill and Generation Change equips young girls with valuable skills while fostering a sense of service to others. For Brooklyn, Josh, and Payde, there is great satisfaction in knowing their efforts have positively impacted the lives of these girls and their communities. This partnership is a powerful demonstration of how Makers Mill is fulfilling its mission to, “enrich rural lives and foster fulfilling livelihoods by bringing people together to discover, cultivate, and share their unique gifts and skills.”