We’ve all heard that it takes a village to raise a child. But when you live in a city without family close by to support you, you are often left building your own village. But where do you start and how do you meet other like minded people? Well, Nestworks founder Madeleine Shaw has developed a family friendly co-working space in the heart of Mt. Pleasant.
I have had the absolute honor of working beside Madeleine Shaw and the board members of Nestworks this past month. Nestworks is a family-friendly co-working community. They welcome individual adults with or without kids to join them for hot desk coworking, including a variety of first-come, first-serve seating areas, hot beverages, light snacks and WiFi. They also offer childminding on site with the staff from This World’s Ours Centre.
I have witnessed parents and their children walking through our doors, taking the first step towards finding their village and building their community. I have spoken to community members who are interested in the project as they are tired of working from home with no one around. They are missing the water cooler chats with co-workers and are seeking like minded people to work beside and share space with.
I fall into the same boat as other community members. I opened up this centre in May 2022 and the majority of our programs are after school hours. I come in every day, and some days have providers and families in and out for therapy, but often I am left sitting here alone. I tell my husband that I am grateful that I have such a beautiful office to work in, but I was missing the hustle and bustle from a typical office.
Since Nestworks has opened in the space, I have had the pleasure of meeting other parents and individuals in the community that are in the same boat as me. They are wanting to co-work alongside other people and have a little chat while getting their morning coffee. I am happiest on the days when there are children running around playing and people are working and chatting in the centre.
Someone asked me last week how I feel about having so many more people in the centre and if I am able to get any work done. I opened this centre to build community, so seeing the community utilize the space is a dream come true for me. Plus, meeting and interacting with parents and community members is the best part of my job.
Learn more about Nestworks click here.
To book co-working space or childminding, click here.
Photos by MJ Araujo. A special thanks to Nestworks for arranging the photography and organizing the Open House Event.