The Beautification Trust’s Tread Lightly programme is taking sustainability education into new spaces and creating opportunities for people to learn practical skills that can make a difference long after a workshop ends. Their crafting and creating workshops with the Department of Corrections give wāhine completing community service hours the chance to learn skills like hand sewing, machine sewing, knitting and other creative techniques.
The incredible team members, Rae and Kelsie, lead these workshops, creating a welcoming space where participants can learn, create and build confidence.
Rae brings a strong focus on reuse into the crafts she designs. She looks at materials that are available and finds ways to turn recycled and repurposed items into something new. Some of these materials could otherwise be heading to landfill, giving them a new purpose through the workshops.
At the heart of the workshops is a simple idea: before something is thrown away, can it be repaired, reused or given a new purpose?
Learning how to sew means a torn item of clothing can be repaired instead of replaced. A piece of fabric can become something useful rather than going to landfill. An old item can be transformed into something new. These skills help people see materials differently and understand the value that remains in the things we already have.
There is also something powerful about sitting down together to learn, make and create. Crafting provides time to focus, practise patience and develop confidence through learning something new. The workshops create space for conversation, connection and a sense of achievement, supporting positive wellbeing and giving participants an opportunity to take pride in what they have made.
The skills developed through these sessions can become part of a person’s future too. Whether it is repairing clothes, making something for whaanau, exploring a creative hobby or developing skills that could lead to further learning or employment, the knowledge can continue beyond the workshop.
This mahi brings together many of the things that are important to the Beautification Trust: empowering people, strengthening connections and finding practical ways to care for the environment.
By sharing knowledge, making use of materials that might otherwise become waste and creating opportunities to learn, Rae and Kelsie are helping wahine build skills and confidence that can make a difference for themselves, their whānau and te taiao.