The idea
We will turn a disused off-license shop to a lively arts and cultural training and trading space, attracting businesses and traffic to a scantily used shopping centre of a housing estate, while connecting people with each other and opportunities. The shop will be renovated and equipped with industrial tailoring tools for community training and business, thereby changing a depressing shop unit into a training and trading one. More people will use the space for better life chances, increasing the use of our shopping area for more hours each day, further reducing isolation by increasing participation and involvement. The premises once renovated and equipped, will become a place where people can have their dresses made, repaired or altered into different styles. Instead of dumping out-of-trend dresses, they can be hacked and re-used, alterations and repairs reduce wastes and landfill which helps the environment thereby saving the Government a lot of financial, human and technical resources
What we'll deliver
- One year training in Tailoring and Fashion Design
- Business and Enterprise skills and confidence related to managing a business
- Life and occupational skills and confidence to become employer of labour.
Why it's a great idea
Community-led, empowering people, reducing unemployment, reducing landfill, creating local businesses, creating jobs for local people as new businesses will have vacancies available, Sowing Stitches sits well with the Regeneration plans of the Local Government to facilitate self-sustaining career and support the career development of resident's choice. Many residents from Barnet are extremely creative and this is a project that will allow them to express themselves and look at employment or business start-up in the creative industries.
The training hub in Grahame Park Estate brings training participants of other areas together to share learning and support each other. The project creates a pathway for community-owned businesses in other areas which are capable of employing their residents, thereby creating community safety, health and wealth.
Steps to get it done
- Weeks 1- 12: Knowledge and safe use of tailoring equipments, Health & Safety procedures. Strong team working.
- 13 - 25: Patterns construction, Calculation, cutting, plotting of garment compliments, public display of finished work.
- 26 - 35: Repairs & Alterations; Overlocking; Digital training. Business skills training.
- 36 - 46:Pop-up business practices, Work experience completed
- Week 47: Trainees' Graduation; Community tailoring business established, next cohort training waiting list collated.
It will empower people to develop a culture of self-sustenance, improve confidence, self-esteem and promote relationship and mental health as people meet, learn, and work together. Friendship and trust developed make interdependence a reality instead of dependance that had been the long-held culture within the generational poverty of our regeneration areas in Barnet.
The project also increases community safety.
