Oh She Built That: Non-profit organization empowers girls through woodworking

“Oh She Built That” inspires girls to explore STEM careers through woodworking education and workshops. 

The non-profit organization takes its traveling workshop to places like Northern Kentucky Public Schools, libraries, and the Girl Scouts. They serve “girls and gender-expansive youth” aged 9-18. It began in 2021 but took off in 2023, according to its founder Hope Lysaght.

“We try to have a two-fold mission where we like to teach about woodworking, but also careers in construction and different things that girls can pursue,” Lysaght said. “But then also we focus on the other side of it like self-confidence, overcoming mistakes and resiliency.”

Lysaght came up with the idea for Oh She Built That after taking up woodworking as a hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just kept thinking like, man, I wish I had this as a kid,” she said. “All these different things, like the perfectionist in me started to see that little mistakes didn’t bother me as much anymore. Different things like that. So, I just saw a lot of growth with woodworking that felt like it could really be impactful for kids as well.”

Lysaght quit her corporate job to begin her traveling workshop.

The organization’s name came after a comment made to her during a trip to Menards.

“We were at Menards one day, and I was buying all this wood, and my husband was with me at the time, and we were leaving, and an older guy said, ‘I guess she’s going to have you working on some project this weekend’ or something like that,” she said. “And he just responded like, ‘Oh, she’s building that.’ And so, it sort of stemmed from that.”

The classes range from one hour to three-day, two-hour workshops that get worked on after school.

They also offer two types of projects. One is an independent project where the girls build it, decorate it independently however they want, and then take it home. Past independent projects have been jewelry displays, birdhouses, smores supplies carriers and wooden speakers for phones.

One of the schools that the organization has worked with is Collins Elementary School in Florence.

“The student response to the Oh She Built That at Collins Elementary has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Garrett Griffith, Coordinator, Collins Elementary Family Resource Center. “One hundred percent of participants expressed their willingness to participate again, with over 90% reporting increased self-confidence. Additionally, teachers and parents noted that participants broke out from their usual social circles to make new friends and demonstrated enhanced problem-solving skills following their participation in Oh She Built That.”

Griffith said Collins Elementary offered the program because of Lysaght and Oh She Built That’s ability to engage young girls from diverse backgrounds, encouraging collaboration and personal growth.

In November, Oh She Built That held a workshop at the Fort Thomas branch of the Campbell County Library. Children’s Services Librarian Jennifer Gooch said as she promoted the program, she saw “so much excitement among patrons about woodworking.” During the program, Gooch said she enjoyed watching the teens bond over Taylor Swift and their bookshelf creations.

Gooch said that when the library offered another workshop with Oh She Built That this spring, registration and the wait list filled immediately.

“Some attendees were so excited that they showed up almost two hours before the program started,” she said. “A few teens from the fall program returned for the spring class, and you could see the difference in their confidence compared to the fall session.”

The Fort Thomas branch will offer another workshop with Oh She Built That on June 17.

The organization also does community projects, which Lysaght said is more popular among groups like the Girl Scouts. They have built things like lending boxes for libraries and birdhouses for parks, and they are working this month on building garden beds for a school.

Taylor Mill Elementary School student 10-year-old Olive Williams participated in Oh She Built in March. She built a jewelry display over three days after school.

“We had to drill different boards together, and then we put the doors on, and we also drilled in different hooks and hinges to open a door on it,” Williams said. “And we also got to paint the project.”

She said she liked the painting aspect of the project the most.

“I like painting because I like that you can do whatever; it’s creative,” Williams said. “You can be creative, and there’s no strict thing that you have to do with it.”

Williams said through the class, she learned that it’s ok to make mistakes.

The organization is funded mostly through individual donations, but they have also received some grants and corporate sponsorships.

“A benefit that I didn’t really expect, I would say, in about 80% of our programs, a lot of the girls will say things like, I get to go home and show my dad I get to use the drill now,” Lysaght said. “Or I get to use my dad’s drill. I can show my dad I can build with him. We call it that Taylor Swift effect where you know girls are watching football with their dads now.”

Here is the list of the groups and schools Oh She Built That has partnered with: 

• Hillard Collins Elementary
• North Pointe Elementary
• Covington Classical
• Connor Middle School
• Boone County Library
• Campbell County Library, Fort Thomas branch
• Ockerman Elementary School
• Bellevue Middle School
• Bellevue High School
• Taylor Mill Elementary School
• Stephens Elementary School
• Twenhofel Middle School
• Girl Scouts-Boone County
• Girl Scouts-Taylor Mill
• Girl Scouts-Erlanger

Learn more about Oh She Built That here.