PETALING JAYA. If you don't know how to use tools or haven't done home repairs, most people's last memory of holding a hammer or saw probably comes from a class taught by Kemahiran Hidup at school.
If you ask Kevin Yeoh, he will probably tell you that he was chiselling or sawing until you entered.
Yeo spends most of his time giving workshops, teaching children and adults the ins and outs of woodworking, from proper use of a hammer to making a three-tiered shoe rack.
He acquired the skills necessary to become a carpenter quite early, taught by his grandfather, who made furniture at home.
“I remember other kids growing up with wooden toys instead of plastic ones,” he told FMT Lifestyle.
Yeo has a background in information technology and has worked on digital content creation for a number of large corporations. But he found that he wanted to create more tangible things. So he quit his job and opened a co-working space with a partner.
What he didn't expect was that the furniture he helped make for the space would grab a woman's attention.
“He came to me and asked if I would teach his son how to work with wood, because he thought our furniture was rustic and ordinary.”
After some deliberation, Yeo decided to accept the job, and the first woodworking workshop for children took place in the lobby of the co-working space. This was in 2016.
She then began to learn more about working with and interacting with children and soon realized that she wanted to do it full time.
“I learn as much from them as they do,” she said, adding that the way the children’s faces light up after completing projects is a reminder of how much fun she had.
“At the same time, I was teaching adults who needed a more technical approach.
In fact, there are schools here for students aged six to 86.
Since the end of last year, he has taken on a new challenge: teaching carpentry to children with special needs.
“When I started, I made a promise to myself that I would dedicate my time and energy to the children,” she said. "So when this request was made, I thought, 'Why should I exclude or exclude this particular group of children?'
She said that working with these children in her class was a difficult and humiliating experience. And he had great respect for the families who cared for him 24 hours a day.
But he said he was proud to accept the challenge.
“When I worked in a corporation,” he said, “it always seemed to me that something was missing. I didn't realize this until I started teaching. I could easily replace him at my previous job, but what I do has an impact on the lives of these kids and that makes me happy.”
It is believed that the 46-year-old man leads a more relaxed lifestyle. He said that in his corporate work he has to create a professional or formal façade. But now it's "just Kevin."
Yeoh's goal is to encourage people to do hands-on work rather than spend all day in front of digital devices. Being able to build or repair your stuff is “a very useful skill,” he said.
As for the future, her dream is to one day open her own school and work with teachers like her.
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