Salvation Army schools connect through cotton and thread
Tanzania is far from the shores of Australia. However, the East African nation famous for its sprawling wilderness and Mount Kilimanjaro, feels close for students at Queensland’s Salvation Army Independent school who have developed a special connection with the country - and it all began with some cotton and thread as Salvos Online journalist LERISSE SMITH discovered.
It is a sight to behold.
Take a peep inside the sewing room at Queensland’s Salvation Army Independent School and you’ll find both teenage boys and girls hard at work sorting through piles of material, heads down at sewing machines, and marking fabric for yet another colourful creation – and it’s all for a great cause.
The talented Year 10 and 11 students are positively impacting the lives of school students across the world through sewing much-needed pencil cases for The School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania.
And the project, which began last year, has been a resounding success.
“Their effort is creating ripple effects beyond their classroom and all the way to Tanzania,” said Gemma Sisia, Founding Director at The School of St Jude.
“We really love what the students at The Independent School are doing in their sewing class. We rely entirely on the generosity of our supporters from around the world to make our mission of providing free, quality education for 1800 bright, poor students a reality. One hundred per cent of our students are on scholarships. Any and all donations are truly appreciated.”
Spearheading the sewing initiative is a retired Salvation Army corps officer, Major Lyn Cook, who has dedicated 46 years of her life to The Salvation Army servicing communities across Queensland, including at Pine Rivers. It was a phone call from The Independent School that saw her take up the offer to teach the class.
Initially, Lyn thought making bags was on the agenda and started to think of what material she would need. However, after realising crafting pencil cases was the order of the day, just one immediate thought came to her mind – zips. “Horror of horrors, I hate sewing zips with a passion!” she said.
“But the kids didn’t, so we pivoted. The kids didn’t know that zips were difficult. So, they just sat down, and in the first lesson, after they had learned, and none of them had touched a sewing machine before, I got them to do straight lines and fancy stitches off the machines. And then they sewed zips because they didn’t know they were difficult.”
This exciting initiative has become an integral part of the school curriculum, with students eagerly looking forward to their sewing class every week.
The project helps students develop their fine motor skills, precision and concentration. It also involves mathematical calculations for measuring materials and double-checking their work before cutting. Additionally, students have learned English and Math skills through reading patterns.
Pines Rivers Corps has supported the project with donations of sewing machines, finances, and fabrics. Additionally, corps members donated sewing machines, two of which were specifically given to students who said they would like a machine at home.
Unique partnership
The relationship between the two schools was initiated through The Salvation Army’s Partnership with the TechnologyOne Foundation. Craft supplies for the initial startup equipment were provided by the foundation.
The Salvation Army’s Relationship Manager Corporate Partnerships (Qld), Jennifer Kennedy, said the partnership aimed to provide young people with every opportunity to positively impact their future, both in Australia and overseas.
“It has been rewarding for students at both The Independent School and St Jude's School in Tanzania to develop a bond through a craft activity,” she said.
Independent School Assistant Principal Kimmi Naidoo said the sewing class formed part of the ‘Happiness Project‘ within its service-learning framework. It provided a platform for the school to connect further with the students, with a team of community members also visiting to support the students.
“It’s all about heart and it’s all about passion,” Kimmi remarked. “It’s really good to see the community working together.”
And the greatest benefit of the sewing project for students?
“It gives them a voice in their learning,” Kimmi explained. “It also enables them to build that self-efficacy … to build confidence and feel like they belong. They feel as if they are achieving, but not only that, they feel that they’re giving back; they have the power to change the world.”
Emotional development
One of the talented Year 11 students who participates in the sewing initiative, Deshaun, said the sewing class made him happy. “The space is calm,” he said. “And there’s good communication.”
One other young person delights in ripping off the metre of fabric and is the best cutter, according to Lyn. Furthermore, he is an inspirational student who did not interact with others when he first arrived at school but now communicates well and is very talkative.
“That’s the other side of this project,” Lyn said. “To see the emotional and psychological development and the impact of creating something substantial, a beautiful creative art piece of a pencil case, and seeing the effect on their actual educational development too. The first pencil case they make, they iron it up so, it's beautiful. They literally run down to the front reception desk to get a photo taken with their first pencil case. It’s quite amazing to watch.”
A special chart plots the students’ progress. Four volunteers, including a tailoress, assist the young people. Students can add a special touch to their pencil cases with positive affirmation cards or a “with love” message on the back.
The students’ handiwork has also gained local attention, with creations such as aprons, ladies’ drawstring bags and Christmas Santa sacks for children in need benefiting the local community.
With the sewing project a triumph, plans are that it will continue into the future.
“The sewing project gives me life,” Lyn remarked. “And to interact with the kids and see them grow, to see them growing in confidence, and the knowledge that they have a skill that not everyone has and which they can use gives me joy.”
Gemma remarked that it was fantastic that Lyn was helping the students learn a valuable skill while helping others in the process.
“I believe it is an important skill, and over here, it helps create self-reliance,” she said “So, I really commend what the students are doing, and thanks to The Salvation Army, too. We are grateful to TechnologyOne for connecting us and making it possible for us to receive the pencil cases for our students sometime in the future.”
