The Chattery founders Shawanda Mason, left, and Jennifer HolderPicture this: You're 18 years old and fresh out of high school. Diploma in hand, you are ready for the next chapter of your life.
You find a job and enter the workforce, or maybe you decide to go to college and earn your degree. But after college and starting a career, then what? Has your pursuit of education ended?
When we become adults, why do we stop learning? This is the question that Jennifer Holder and Shawanda Mason asked themselves. In 2014, Holder and Mason, two friends with aspirations of entrepreneurship and advocates of lifelong learning, co-founded The Chattery.
The Chattery is a nonprofit business dedicated to adult learning through fun, affordable and informative mentorship. They host classes for those ages 16 and up to experience hands-on, creative and fundamental lessons that range anywhere from chalkboard lettering to cocktail making to professional development.
"We focus on learning as opposed to education," says Mason. "Education is too systematic."
Adult egg huntI come from a long line of teachers," Holder explains. "I saw the way my parents were within the system [of education], and how they helped shape lives outside of the system With education, you have things like standardized tests that measure your worth. With learning, you have more life experiences, and more of a chance to become a whole person."
In The Chattery's early years, Mason and Holder would seek out small business owners and experts to teach a class. There were professional development courses such as marketing and PR, personal development classes like meditation and personal finances, and creative classes like culinary skills and macrame. Their first-ever class was a crash course on how to build your own Mason jar terrarium.
Today, those who wish to teach a class come to them and apply for a spot. The Chattery has hosted over 150 community members to lead a class, and counting. There are recurring classes such as calligraphy, which has been a popular course since The Chattery's beginning, and one-of-a-kind courses with celebrity hosts, such as Austin Channing Brown, a well-known author who led a discussion and lecture on racial injustice in September of 2019.
"We are pretty open to taking risks. We are always looking for new teachers and suggestions for classes," Holder says.
When talking about their vision for The Chattery and measuring their business's success, Mason and Holder both agreed that they are very proud of the work they have done and the feat they have accomplished.
"Money isn't always [the only] measure of success," says Holder.