The Women’s Crochet Group aims to support fragile/vulnerable women of all ages to build their own c

Description

Commentary on the year 2023 Women’s Crochet Group
• We engaged 3 tutors and 1 support worker to support the 38 Crochet ladies throughout ‘23. We divided the big number of women into two groups, classes are each Tuesday 10.30am and 11.45am
• In July ‘23 the Crochet ladies went on a day trip to Garryvoe where we organised a time of reflection with Melanie O Driscoll. The participants enjoyed a sound bath and a beautiful lunch at the Garryvoe Hotel, and we will look forward to providing another day like this in 2024.
• The Crochet ladies created Rose Buttons for all the members of Cor na Laoí (45 members) and there are 4 crochet ladies who are currently part of the choir.
• Crochet ladies contributed to different projects during the year, Felt Making with Bernice Jones and Slow Stitch project with Isabelle Monnier. Both projects were displayed in the Goldie Chapel and the work of each participant was honoured.
• Premature Babies Project and babies born sleeping – blankets and hats and other clothes items were made for babies in CUMH this work continued for 2023. This is a very rewarding focus for the ladies. In Autumn 2023 we had a special project called Operation Reindeer where the ladies made red blankets and hats for all the babies that would be in hospital for Christmas.
• The Crochet ladies created many items for a Christmas Market Dec 2023 special items were the ceramic Christmas decorations they made, these decorations had the imprint of different crochet pattern embossed on various shapes for example hearts and stars

Commentary on the year 2024 Women’s Crochet Group

• We engaged 3 tutors and 2 support worker to support the 44 Crochet ladies to date. We divided the big number of women into two groups, classes are each Tuesday 10.30am and 11.45am
• The Crochet ladies created random gifts of kindness for the 2024 Life Long Learning Festival where we dropped crochet decorations with a card of beautiful uplifting message to businesses in the South Parish Learning Neighbourhood local area to give to customers and visitors to brighten their day.
• The Crochet ladies created over 300 Red Hearts that will be used at a remenbrance ceremony in November of this year, they are still working on this project. It will be celebrated in Nano Nagle Place.
• Premature Babies Project and babies born sleeping – blankets and hats and other clothes items were made for babies in CUMH this work continues in 2024.
• On May 23rd ‘24 the Crochet ladies had the most beautiful display for work as part of our Bealtaine Celebrations in the Goldie Chapel Nano Nagle Place over 100 people attended the day. On that day we had this display of craft & creativity from the crochet ladies, spoken word by Joanne a lady from our Storytelling Course, Dancers from New Moon Youth Dance Company & Stall Waters Adult Dance Company, Cor Na Laoí Community Choir and special guest singer songwriter Aaron O Sullivan. Cakes for the special occasion were made by Margaret Doody one of our Crochet Ladies
• On June 25th ‘24 the Crochet ladies went on a day trip to Kinsale where we organised afternoon tea and live Music with Musician Noah Snyder. The participants enjoyed a singsong and the joy of seeing the beautiful boats & scenery in Kinsale.

This group has been supported by the HSE and the ladies themselves speak about how much being part of the group helps their wellbeing. The ladies continue to seek meaningful projects that employ their skills and allow further positive impact into the community.

During COVID they sent gifts of tiny crochet hearts into all the care homes in the Cork area & beyond and this was such a powerful method of connecting with isolated persons in our community and has given the crochet ladies a feeling of empowerment and they are so proud of this project and all the outreach that they do to brighten the corner where they can. Also one other project that was particularly powerful was during COVID where they gave permission to have huge photographs of 6 of the ladies to be placed on the front big windows of Nano Nagle Place – they represented the Faces of Learning and everyone loved these images

Our Facebook page, Instagram posts, Twitter & YouTube channel tell a lot of the story

www.nanonagleplace.ie has the link to our page in the community hub https://nanonagleplace.ie/the-lantern-community-project/

Aim of Initiative

The Women’s Crochet Group aims to support fragile/vulnerable women of all ages to build their own capacity through friendship, solidarity and empowerment by meeting socially in an informal, therapeutic environment whilst learning the skill of crochet

Who is it aimed at

The Women’s Crochet Group is part of the Lantern Community Development Project, Nano Nagle Place and it aims to:
1. Be a place of welcome, learning and inclusion providing a safe place for people experiencing fragility or vulnerability in their lives
2. Create a ‘hub’ of support and well-being for marginalised and vulnerable people in Cork City and County
3. Be a centre of excellence promoting community education and creativity in Cork City
4. Foster links and collaboration with other service providers to foster multi-agency collaboration and partnerships
The work of the Lantern Project is rooted in the ethos of Nano Nagle – ‘Welcome, Learning and Inclusion’ dedicated to building ever stronger communities that are open and inclusive. The Lantern Project works from the Ministry Building in Nano Nagle Place (NNP) and supports people on a journey of personal development who have experienced a period of vulnerability or social exclusion in their lives and for whom the support of a group would be beneficial. The primary geographical focus is on those living in the area around NNP.
The Lantern has two main strands of work – community development and community education. All programmes are designed to be inclusive, accessible, relevant, and most importantly – participant-led. Time spent attending Lantern activities allows people to take small steps, make new connections whilst reflecting on what best supports their well-being.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Be a place of welcome, learning and inclusion providing a safe place for people experiencing fragility or vulnerability in their lives
2. Strive to have programmes designed to be inclusive, accessible, relevant, and most importantly – participant-led.
3. To continue our work on developing our relationships with other organisations, these collaborations have strengthened our community education programme and enhanced the learning experience for our participants. Participants have had the opportunity to visit, learn, perform, act, exhibit and speak in so many different places and spaces. This is important.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. We are not assured of funding we have to apply each year and the amount is never the same. We could do with a stable source of income. Cost of running a beautiful space like Nano Nagle Place is very big and we are part of the Nano Nagle Place team and it is hard.
2. We offer free courses and we are always needing to make sure we are serving the correct people. The interview process is kind and we are very reliant on the key workers or other people who refer participants to us to make sure we are able to manage the needs of the people we serve. This is difficult but we are doing very well in this area and have established really good relationships with key workers and organisations to continue with our success but it is still a challenge.
3. Our participants really miss us when we take holidays or breaks and we try our best to make sure we communicate very clearly with them so they are fully informed. Constant clear communication is essential but it is a challenge with all the platforms we need to employ to get the message to the people we serve. Currently we are active on Facebook Instagram YouTube and Twitter (X). Our most effective way of communicating still remains the personal text to each individual.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. 44 woman gather weekly to learn to crochet and to knit – they learn and share their skill with each other. 44 woman gather weekly to share time with each other and we have seen positive relationships growing and developing. We see the women support each other both inside and outside this special time together. 44 woman gather weekly and have gone on to have the opportunity to be part of other learning courses that we offer and other organisations offer because we signpost and they share signposting information. 44 woman gather weekly to work towards collective goals/project just like the ones outlined above.
2. We see increased confidence in individuals, this is evidenced in the projects they choose to be part of. The level of interest in displaying their work shows the pride that they have in what they do. Some of our crochet ladies come through the door with very little skill for the craft and the learning process because it is such a kind and welcoming environment they flourish and learn at their own pace with no pressure or expectation but the willingness to return each week and try is a huge outcome
3. The Ladies that come to our Crochet group by their own admission have suffered some level of vulnerability. They may have experienced physical or mental ill-health. They may be in recovery from alcohol or drug misuse. They may be carers to a family member and need an outlet. They may have any number of issues but the display of courage that these women show and the resilience they develop is a notable outcome.