The Bead Women
My blogs
| Industry | Education |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Teachers and Learners |
| Location | Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Introduction | The adventures of a group of ESL teachers, volunteers and refugee women who are sharing the path to self-sufficiency through jewelry making, weaving, needlework, and other crafts yet to be conquered. Eventually, we'll be a real business working on a self-sustaining, co-op model. We believe that the combination of creativity and community foster healing, empowerment, and personal discovery--not to mention a sense of pride and accomplishment! In time, we hope to include crochet, embroidery, crewel, tie-dye, and embellished scarves to our craft project. The items made by our group will be sold, and the profits will go directly to the women who make the jewelry. The goal of the program is to help the refugee women acquire skills, confidence, and tangible rewards from their craft work. The project grew out of another project that was a spin-off of the Colorado Refugee ESL In-Home Tutoring Program, which is managed by Sharon McCreary, Volunteer Coordinator. The spin-off projects are the result of sheer genius on the part of some of the most creative, resourceful, and dedicated volunteers on the planet! |
| Interests | jewelry making, refugee resettlement, beads, crafts, weaving, backstrap looms, knitting, crochet, crewel, embroidery, fiber arts, preserving traditional ethnic crafts, indigenous crafts, language acquisition, ESL, self-sufficiency, the power of the creative, Bhutan, Lotshampas, Burmese Karen, Sudan, Iraq, Congo, Somali Bantu, empowerment, women's issues, community, integration, networking, human rights, social justice, learning, friendship, entrepreneurship |
| Favorite Movies | Rain in a Dry Land, God Grew Tired of Us, Calendar Girls, Moscow on the Hudson, The Pianist, Hotel Rwanda |
| Favorite Books | The Middle of Everywhere, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, The Impatient Beader, Making Designer Jewelry, Jewelry Making and Beading for Dummies, The Impatient Beader Gets Inspired, Complete Beading: Jewelry and Accessories, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making & Beading, Cool Jewels: Beading Projects for Teens, Beaded Jewelry |