Everything Makes Craft to use Government grant for training

By Gibron Rahim
WHILE the idea of a green economy is currently at the forefront of the Guyanese consciousness, it may be difficult to visualise how the concept, undoubtedly necessary for the times in which we live, can be applied in a real way to the life of the average citizen.

And this is where upcycling – reusing discarded material to create new products – steps in. Among those movements that strive to turn ‘trash’ into pieces of art is Everything Makes Craft. Founder and owner, Christine DeCambra, while keeping that goal in mind, now takes aim at sharing the knowledge she has gained in upcycling in hopes of inspiring entrepreneurship.

Speaking to the Pepperpot Magazine, Christine noted that she could not have predicted at the beginning of her venture how much of a response the pieces she creates would have gotten. It all began with her two young children. She noted that children love to play and as a mom, she wanted to find an inexpensive but also creative and educational mode of play for her little ones. She decided to take some time out of her day to create things that would allow her to teach and play with them at the same time. She began to share her creations on social media and the reaction she received led to her making videos to teach others.

Following a friend’s suggestion, Christine began to charge for her work. Eventually, her pieces filled her living room, then her house and she decided to make the move to a storefront on Brickdam. After her husband received a scholarship opportunity, she and her family packed up and moved to England. Sadly, that meant she had to close shop. She returned to Guyana this year to put the finishing touches on Everything Makes Craft’s annual Bunny Fun Day, a children’s arts and craft competition. “When I came back, the response was amazing,” she said. This prompted her decision to stay in Guyana.

ONE STEP FURTHER

Christine had long since realised the importance of upcycling when she saw the amount of garbage that her family of four was accumulating on a daily and weekly basis. She decided to see how much of the materials she could reuse. It occurred to her then that the idea could be applied on a larger scale. “I realised if I sought to show this to others and get others involved it would reduce the amount of garbage we throw out,” she said and added, “It’s on that basis that I was awarded a grant from the Ministry of Education to train others to do this.”

Now, she is gearing up to administer this training programme through the Ministry of Education with the goal that she can encourage other women, particularly disenfranchised women and school dropouts, to start their own businesses and earn money for themselves. It is hoped that at least some of the participants in the training will become entrepreneurs. “The plan is to have a few of them who are spirited become business owners and we [Everything Makes Craft] will help them to sell their products,” Christine stated.

It is also hoped that those who choose not to venture off into business can help to beautify their communities and help in places such as churches, centres, hospitals and play areas. “They can be a form of inspiration for others, especially the younger ones looking up to them.”

GETTING INVOLVED
It should be mentioned that upcycling itself is not necessarily limited to those who are artistically inclined. At the same time, Christine does not hastily claim that anybody can upcycle. Rather, we all have the resources within reach. It is up to each of us then, she said, to make a conscious effort to start small. “You don’t have to be very crafty to upcycle,” she observed.

“You can be just a regular mom who doesn’t know anything about crafting or art or painting but you get your child involved.” She ardently believes that the creativity of children can bring out that of their parents. It is also especially important since parents may not realize that potential in their children until they work on an arts and crafts project with them.

For those who truly are not artistically inclined though, they can still be a part of the movement. The materials Christine accumulates every day are the ones she uses most often in crafting – toilet paper rolls, tin cans (such as sausage cans) and plastic bottles. On a weekly or monthly basis, there are egg trays and other household materials that mothers accumulate. She has found that plastic bottles are the easiest to work with. From them she makes bracelets, toy cars and birdhouses, to name a few from an extensive list. The public is welcome to contribute their plastic bottles, aluminium cans, old clothes, wooden pallets or pieces of wood, old furniture, old newspapers or magazines, cardboard boxes (in good condition) and similar materials. All of these can be upcycled.

This initiative of teaching and training will not be Christine’s first experience in the arena – Everything Makes Craft has an annual Kids Crafty Klass, held this past August at the Giftland Mall, to teach children to reuse materials that may otherwise be discarded. Further, she has confidence in the Guyanese enterprising spirit. “You’ll find that Guyanese are very talented and we have a lot of common sense,” she observed. “We know how to make money.”

A craft business can be viable. Christine has run Everything Makes Craft for three years now. Reflecting on her very first interview three years ago she said, “One of my aims is to bring upcycling to the forefront of every Guyanese mind.” The new training programme will further this aim while also sharing knowledge that participants can use to better their lives and help their communities.

The public may help the movement by collecting their waste materials, like those mentioned, and taking them to Everything Makes Craft at 112 Duke Street. Christine can also be contacted at 696-3036 for further information.