See Big Skills Program in Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Homes for the Holidays: Big Skills Program and The Branson School Host First ADU Housing Summit & Fundraising Event
Sat., December 13, 2025 | 3:00–5:00 PM
The Branson School | 39 Fernhill Ave, Ross, CA 94957
Ross, CA — The Branson School and the Big Skills Program, a flagship initiative of Rebuilding Together East Bay Network (RTEBN), will host Homes for the Holidays, the program’s largest learning and fundraising event of the year. Community members, partners, educators, policymakers, and supporters are invited to join on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 3:00–5:00 PM for an afternoon of education, impact storytelling, hands-on activities, and community celebration. Food and refreshments will be provided.
Homes for the Holidays will explore how the Big Skills Program is partnering with The Branson School to address one of Marin’s most urgent and complex challenges: affordable housing access. The event brings together students, local leaders, workforce trainees, and housing innovators to showcase how educational institutions and nonprofit partners can create real, scalable change.
Event Highlights
Participants will:
- Learn how Big Skills and Branson are preparing the next generation of changemakers in affordable housing.
- Understand the unique, hands-on educational model that integrates construction training with community-based problem-solving.
- Engage with local leaders, students, and innovators who are transforming housing access in our region—and discover how to get involved.
Student Voices on Learning and Impact
Students participating in the Big Skills partnership at Branson have expressed how transformative the experience has been:
“It’s been eye-opening to learn about how so many people don’t have housing or have a hard time maintaining housing.”
— Julia Myerberg, Branson Student
“One of the things I’ve learned most about is all the barriers that can stop affordable housing from coming to fruition. I always heard about these initiatives and thought they sounded great, but didn’t understand why they hadn’t happened.”
— Hudson Blechman, Branson Student
“This class has been a super fun mix of valuable learning in the classroom and hands-on experience on the job site. It’s been really interesting to learn about the sociology of housing while also actively being part of the solution.”
— Farah Allen, Branson Student
Building a Scalable Housing Solution for Marin
The Big Skills Program is currently constructing its third and fourth new homes built by Branson students. A new partnership with the Marin Housing Authority now enables low-income homeowners to receive Big Skills-built ADUs through deferred-payment loans, accelerating affordable housing creation across the county.
Two Novato homeowners are currently in process for ADU placements, and the first Marin-built unit will be placed on its foundation later this year.
The program also celebrated key workforce milestones:
- Three graduates hired into full-time construction roles,
- Six new homes in production for June 2026 placement,
- Over 100 students and apprentices participating in construction and training activities this year.
About the Big Skills Program
Operated by Rebuilding Together East Bay Network (RTEBN), the Big Skills Program is a first-of-its-kind workforce development and affordable housing initiative. Every year, high school students and apprentices receive intensive hands-on construction experience by building fully equipped Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) from start to finish. These units are placed in Bay Area communities where they provide new affordable housing options and rental income for residents at risk of displacement.
To learn more or get involved, visit: https://www.rtebn.org/big-skills
To support the program with a donation: https://www.rtebn.org/donate
Press Contacts
Danielle Faulkner
Senior Program Manager, Rebuilding Together East Bay Network
danielle@rtebn.org | (415) 595-8316
Eric Oldmixon
Sociology of Housing & Visual Arts Teacher, The Branson School
eric_oldmixon@branson.org | (707) 479-6435