At Mercy Home, our kids have the opportunity to learn countless new skills—and fortunately, they are always eager to learn! One way they do is through life skills activities they participate in with their peers at the Home.

For example, when Campbell Home Youth Care Worker Peter held one of these activities over the summer to teach the young men how to change a car’s engine oil, they enjoyed it so much that our in-house education program, Education & Career Resources, started offering an automotive After School Program (ASP) for all the young men at the Boys Campus.

Because some of our boys were already considering going to automotive tech school, the class turned out to be a great opportunity to learn automotive care skills. A total of 18 of our young people signed up for the class.

Peter brought in some old car engines, and the guys have been disassembling them. In addition, they have also learned how to change a wheel, change the oil, and run diagnostics.

The official automotive ASP meets every Tuesday in the Learning Center, but because the tools and engines are stored in Campbell Home, Peter can hold impromptu sessions at other times.

“The guys have reacted really well to it, especially because it’s a hands-on activity that’s really cool,” Peter said.

He added that the young men participating in the class are very engaged and attentive, and are enjoying the challenges of learning their way around cars.

Peter hopes that if this class keeps growing, they will soon be able to work on complete vehicles.

Thank you to Peter for teaching our young men such a valuable life skill!