Brenda McCreight Shares about a New Program

We all have children who do not fit in any kind of trades training and many of us despair of ever helping them get on the road ot empoyment. I have a 15 year old son with multiple diagnoses of fasd, adhd, etc, and he has recently given up on school because there is really nothing for him there. He has always wanted to be a stone mason (weird, but true) so I was looking for anyway to make that happen for him, but of course, not many places take 15 year olds and especially not those who are basically illiterate. However, I found a place! It is the Kootenay Stone Masonry Training School in Salmo BC, Canada . They provide two week courses in landscape stones, in building chimneys, in building retaining walls, and just about anything you can learn to do with stone. The cost is $1400 Canadian for each two week training and includes tuition and room and board. The instructor happens to have worked with mentally handicapped people and so has an understanding of learning differences. The owner is happy to take kids like my son as long as they are not drug or alcohol involved and can be independent for the two weeks as the owners do not provide supervision or parenting. Salmo is a very little town i(population 1000) in the mountains of BC, there is great fishing and hiking in the summer and skiiing in the winter, but not much else. The place is called the Kootenay Stone Masonry Training School and the web site is http://www.naturalstone.com/training.php For youth and young adults who want to learn a trade but can't manage traditional educational routes, this is a great place.