Providing exciting, innovative & creative upcycling activities for the community in the IG3 area. Weekly upcycling workshops providing information and demonstration of ways to upcycle items that are destined for landfill such as broken umbrellas, old t-shirts etc. A monthly event where older people share stories to younger people about their past when upcycling was part of everyday life. Participants will then learn the craft from the story by doing a practical. Giving the elderly opportunities to share stories from their past with members of the community they never have an opportunity to interact with not only improves their mental health (they often enjoy telling stories) but also builds respect between the generations. These stories will be captured as oral history, and uploaded to national archives for future generations, ensuring these stories and skills live on. For world book day we will help families make their Children's costumes costumes purely from recycled materials.

What we'll deliver:

• Recruit and support volunteers including parents, carers, teachers, elders
• Work with local community networks; schools, places of worship, libraries to create awareness of project
• Hire a local fully accessible venue (wheelchair ramps etc) which has storage space
• Buy equipment and materials for crafting activities (sewing machine, stationary, glue gun etc)
• Organise 13 weekly upcycle skill share events
• Organise 10 monthly inter-generational upcycling skill shares
• Provide oral history training for up to 12 dedicated volunteers
• Procure oral history recording equipment
• Upload oral histories to the national oral history bank

Why it's a great idea:

It will benefit local families, the children/youth and the older members of the community. Strengthening and bonding them. It will bring older adults and young children together to improve the quality of life and opportunities for both. Build a sense of self confidence, Through the story telling and joint crafting stimulating conversations between the two otherwise very disconnected groups, the social and academic development of the local youngsters will also be improved. benefits amongst the older members of the community include: solve isolation, depression and loneliness, increase physical activity and engagement, greater life satisfaction, enhanced emotional well-being, opportunity for creative expression. The upcycling crafting sessions will produce nostalgic items creating a sense of happiness, pride and achievement. After the pandemic many elderly people have struggled to regain the confidence to take part in social environments. We hope to provide a safe friendly environment

Steps to get it done:

• Start first regular monthly event in August 2023
• Oral history training 24th July 2023
• Start regular weekly events August 2023

Participants will benefit by learning new environmentally friendly skills as well as sharing their existing skills. Elders and youngsters benefit by bridging the gap, which builds friendship, respect. The safe and friendly environment we provide will encourage all participants to feel comfortable to express themselves among themselves and the public. Through their nostalgic storytelling and creative crafting expression, elders will gain self-confidence and pride . It will help solve post pandemic isolation, depression and loneliness. Increase physical activity, engagement, life satisfaction, emotional well-being. Youths will benefit by having opportunities for creative expression, learning useful environmentally friendly skills, and feeling they are part of a global solution. Participants will take away a unique upcycled item that they produced. The environment benefits as residents change their consumption and wasteful habits. Thus reducing the local amount of waste sent to landfill.