Make Give Live is all about community and wellbeing and so when we were offered the opportunity to be involved with helping newly arrived refugees settle into their new home here in New Zealand, we jumped at the chance.
In conjunction with the wonderful ladies at Creative Fibre and through the amazing work of RASNZ (Refugee Health and Wellbeing) we have been privileged to be able to provide the newly arrived refugees with access to crafting supplies and the voluntary service of our wonderful makers as teachers for both knitting and crochet.
The materials were pounced upon the instant they were produced at the centre, and the willingness to learn and grow a new skill was amazing to see, even through a barrier of language difference. These newly arrived Kiwis will be heading out to their new homes in the near future and we will be able, in some cases, to connect them into a ready made creative community in their area, easing the settling in process and providing them with purpose and shape to their week.
We have been so honoured to be part of this project and can't wait for the next sessions later this month.
We asked some of our amazing makers, who volunteered their Wednesday evening to drive across Auckland and share their skills to tell you a little something about the experience. Please do read on......
We came with what we imagined would be plenty of yarn and needles, but these soon went, such was the enthusiasm of the refugees to do, and learn. It was very busy as so many wanted to learn, but we got there with lots of hand signals, and smiles. I taught several ladies to knit. The second week we brought more yarn, needles and crochet hooks too. Again it went quickly. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces and new. One lady proudly showed me her knitting, she absolutely had it worked out, she was knitting, with a huge smile "Good teacher." She said to me.
Again, I taught some to knit, and others to crochet. The positivity in the room was so strong you could feel it, and it was so rewarding to be able to give these people something positive, and a new skill they can grow as they become part of NZ's people.
He aha te mea nui o te ao
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
Alison
It is hard to describe the experience of visiting the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre to show the women and girls how to knit. After we completed the registration process Sarah took us through the building and outside the door into the activities room gave us a briefing of what to expect. Some of the younger refugees were peering round the door and through the glass of the door to see us and were anxious to see what we had to offer. Once in the room everyone was anxious to get their hands on some wool and needles/crochet hooks and after the initial melee things settled down. Small groups formed and it was a pleasure to be able to show these women how we knit in New Zealand. One of my group was a capable knitter so I was able to show her how to knit cables, while others were still struggling with the basics. The smiling faces bridged the language barrier and we all managed to understand each other.
Jenny
Teaching knitting at the Refugee Resettlement Centre was a profoundly rewarding experience. It was at times overwhelming and slightly chaotic but once the initial excitement settled down we were able to sit with the people and share our skills communicating with a variety of words and gestures. From there we were able to identify the more experienced and skilled knitters and with a little encouragement get them to also teach and pass on their skills. The pride they felt was obvious in their smiles. The refugees were so excited and willing to learn and being given access to the equipment, ie, knitting needles, yarn and patterns was almost too much for one woman who was in tears telling us she could now knit socks because she had DPN’s (double pointed needles). Meeting the people and knowing some of the trauma they had experienced, it was truly humbling to see the resilience they continue to show as they learn to become kiwis. It would be a privilege to continue teaching knitting and crochet to future intakes.
Angela
The feedback from the refugee centre has also been amazing, they said.....
Thank you so much to all of you who came out to the centre with such great energy and kindness. The residence has been buzzing over the opportunity to engage with you all.
Thank you to each and every person that has supported us in any way along our journey, it is because of you that we can make a difference in this way, it means the world to us x
]]>
On Saturday 08 June the world knitted together. Knit in Public Day is an annual world wide event that encourages knitters and crocheters, to get out into a public space and knit together to spread knowledge of the craft and make it accessible to all.
This year, Make Give Live hosted our second annual event, this time at the Atrium at Britomart. The venue was wonderful, we were alongside the La Cigale farmers market, which sells delicious food and drink, so we were well catered for. It was amazing to see so many happy smiling faces on the day, knitting, chatting and enjoying their craft in a public space.
This year for the first time, we had a giving table. Looking just like our market set up, this table had the sole purpose of providing warmth to those in need in our city, for free. Hats, scarves and gloves, all handmade with love and care, were there to be taken by anyone that needed a little warmth. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to spread our giving a little wider and so we also gave out a number of hats, scarves and gloves along Queen Street, all much appreciated in this cold winter weather.
If you were able to make the day this year, it was wonderful to see you. If not, I really hope we will see you there next year, or maybe if you are outside of Auckland, you might like to organise your own event, you won't regret connecting with other like minded people.
]]>The Wonderful Kate
We are all so busy, busy doing important stuff, busy being busy. But what if you could give yourself the gift of a little time ? Some time to sit and calm your mind and in the process make something beautiful, maybe learn some new skills. This is the gift of knitting.
The therapeutic benefits of knitting are actually widely researched and well proven (more on that another time), one wonderful recent customer and supporter of ours has taken the time and care to share her experiences of re-connecting with knitting and it's a delight.
Grab a cup of tea (or coffee!), get comfy and read all about Kate's experiences of nuturing her mental health through the medium of knitting - you won't regret it.
]]>Here at Make Give Live we are all about community, purpose and giving. We value kindness, empathy and caring so very much, be it for our makers, or for those we give to. So, when we learned about Orange Sky we were totally onboard with it.
Orange Sky is a fabulous organisation that have fitted out a couple of minibuses with washing machines, dryers and showers, they drive around Auckland and spend time at a number of locations where people who need to wash their clothes or have a shower can come and do just that.
What they are about even more than that though, is community, they encourage the people that come to their bus to sit, chat, connect with other people and build a community. This is so much what we are about and so we were over the moon to be able to visit them last Monday to donate a bag of 25 hats and a number of scarves. We sat, we chatted and we kept people warm.
The need for such warmth was so clear, the weather is cooling down and the prospect of sleeping outside as the winter approaches is a reality for so many. Being able to provide a little bit of love and warmth in the shape of handmade beanies was an amazing experience and is of course, thanks to all our wonderful supporters without whom this would have been impossible. We are so excited to be able to continue to support this amazing organisation throughout the winter months.
Thank you for supporting handmade and thank you for supporting meaningful making with purpose that has enabled us to keep heads and hearts warm this winter.
If you would like to find out more about Orange Sky, you can visit their website here Orange Sky
]]>