Igniting passions and brighter futures for Pittsburgh youth

Alan Carter, a 15-year-old from North Versailles, PA, has always liked art.

So, when his mother told him about an after-school program that teaches technical welding and creative metal sculpture, he was intrigued.

Alan really didn’t know anything about welding or machinery or what he wanted to do with his life someday. He also didn’t know a soul in the program.

“I was really nervous about meeting people,” he shares. “In school, I was never really friends with people.”

But once he started the program, it didn’t take long for that to change.

“Here I feel accepted and it’s pretty cool,” he shares. “I finally have choices to do what I want to do.”

And for Alan, one pretty important choice was finally clear: what to do with his life.

“I want to become a welder … to be able to work with fire and metal and stuff … that’s what I want to do.”

Alan’s story is not at all surprising, at least not to the students and staff of Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW). Recognized as a Citizens 2023 Champion in Action for its work in enriching the lives of youth, the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit teaches teens how to create art, skills and careers through welding.

Read on to learn more about how IAW is igniting passions in youth like Alan Carter and making major progress in workforce development.

It’s fitting that IAW provides a solid place for youth to grow and learn in the City of Pittsburgh, long known as the City of Steel for being the largest steel-producing city in the world. But when the steel mill industry collapsed in the 1980s, the city was forced to undergo a transformation that came from a very different place: through culture and the arts.

Tim Kaulen, founder and Executive Director of IAW, knows the arts culture in Pittsburgh well; it’s where he became a public artist and where he found his inspiration to take art in a unique direction.

Tim and some of his partners were working on a giant public steel workers sculpture in the city; an endeavor that took 15 years to finish. In that process, Tim garnered inspiration for a different type of work.

“I recognized that when you use art for hands-on projects, there are really powerful opportunities to build skills that can lead to work.”

That spark would ignite IAW.

The organization began with a “Mobile Sculpture Workshop,” a summer program run by volunteers.

“We would set up tents at art and music festivals with our welding equipment and invite kids to come create art,” Tim shares.

But after five years, Tim and his partners realized they could have even more impact with a permanent location. In June 2018, that would happen when Hazelwood Initiative, a community development nonprofit, purchased buildings in Hazelwood and provided IAW with one to call home.

There, IAW would launch two training programs that use the craft of welding to teach high school students technical skills: the Summer Welding Bootcamp (SWB), an intensive 10-week experience for a cohort of 10-12 students; and the After School Welding Lab (ASWL), which helps students with variable schedules learn at their own pace.

Both safety-focused programs teach students how to use different pieces of equipment and successfully make several types of welds. The training, which applies engineering and math skills, culminates with students creating artworks of interest.

Though IEW focuses on giving kids a place to learn and succeed today, Tim and his partners are always focused on the future for youth. It’s something he thinks about a lot as the proud father of a teen son.

“We’re not just making pretty sculptures,” he explains. “We’re offering collaboration, community service and there’s the technical skill building that's the marketable asset they need to create career paths,” he points out.

Those career paths can vary. Some IAW students will go on to a four-year college or a two-year community college. Others may choose technical training programs, such as welding schools. Students can also go on to apprenticeship programs to work with local unions to get the training they need to become electricians or carpenters.

There are also students who will go directly into the workforce. To facilitate that, IAW is working on identifying employers that provide the ability for young people to learn on the job to help them gain skills and confidence.

The work IAW does in helping build skills is invaluable to students and the community. Yet, there is no fee for students to attend the workshops. To make that possible and support IAW’s full-time staff, the organization relies heavily on fundraising. That’s why Tim is appreciative of the $50,000 in unrestricted funds provided by the Champions in Action program. It will help the organization continue to enhance its core programs and to build upon their early mobile success by creating a mobile welding lab.

Tim is excited about the future of IAW and the impact it has already had on so many young lives.

“Working with teens is really fun,” he enthuses. “There’s a discovery when you start to see the seeds of confidence, ownership, and agency being made.”

But don’t just take Tim’s word for it.

“If I had to describe [IAW] in three words, it’s caring, interesting and nurturing. It has helped me become the person I am now,” shares Alan Carter.

Ready to build skills and brighter futures together

As a large employer, Citizens understands how vital workplace skills are to the economic wellbeing of our communities. That’s why we’re proud to team up with and recognize Champions in Action like IAW, which shares our passion for helping build skills that lead to employment, brighter futures and a stronger, more inclusive world for all.

Since its inception in 2002, Champions in Action has provided over $10 million in unrestricted funds to more than 370 deserving nonprofits that help strengthen our communities. Learn more about Champions in Action and other ways Citizens is committed to helping nonprofit organizations.