Skills for women, taught by women

Cromwell woman Samantha Matheson hopes to teach women skills they weren’t expected to know...
Cromwell woman Samantha Matheson hopes to teach women skills they weren’t expected to know growing up, like operating power tools and hitching a trailer, from her home in Cromwell. PHOTO: ELLA JENKINS
A Cromwell woman wants to help other women learn things they weren’t expected to know in a safe environment and without being judged by others.

A teacher by profession, Samantha Matheson decided to pursue more creative passion projects after her father died.

An idea for a project came to her after talking to other women.

"I always get asked like ‘how do you know how to do so many things?"’

After brainstorming and talking to her partner she discovered that her property was the perfect place to host lessons teaching women skills they might not have been taught.

"Obviously, me being a teacher, I kind of know how to break things down and make things easy to learn."

Ms Matheson then took the Wild Women Workshop’s idea to social media, where it has taken off.

"I only posted about it on Wednesday last week ... then all of a sudden I was just getting people wanting to help or support in any way."

Women have reached out offering their time to teach others about butchering or basic car maintenance, like changing a tyre, she said.

Other skills Ms Matheson hoped to teach were those lost over the generations, like repairing socks.

Ms Matheson planned for the workshops to start women with participants introducing themselves and their experience with the particular skill being taught at the workshop.

The skill being taught would then be demonstrated and then people would get the opportunity to practise themselves.

Ms Matheson said she wanted participants to spend the most time as possible learning with hands-on practice.

After the workshops, participants would be able to have a cup of tea and debrief on what they had learned as well as socialise a little.

Women of all backgrounds could attend the for women by women workshops, with no age cap.

Transgender women would also be welcome at the workshops.