Thanks to one of Tasmania's iconic institutions, the Country Women's Association (CWA), MRC North has received donations of sewing materials and items, knitting needles and lots of wool.
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A phone call from a contact in a previous role and beautiful lady, Elizabeth Clark, will see MRC North clients and families knitting and sewing together.
The CWA is an organisation that understands busy hands are happy hands.
It has a long history of supporting Tasmanian families and communities. A visit to one of the CWA shops around the state is testament to the care and compassion for others, as well as the obvious pleasure, pride and happiness derived by the makers from creating such beautiful products with their hands.
The knitted character tea cosies, baby booties and coat hangers are just delightful.
When collecting the donations from the CWA Launceston shop, the colourful materials and balls of wool got me thinking about the importance of identity, sensorial experience and tactility in relation to natural materials.
Knitting and sewing together has the effect of fostering communal sense and a concentration on the present moment. Occupying our hands engages our brains, focuses our thinking and can alleviate anxiety because we are participating in a meaningful activity.
When we sit down together to make anything, we immediately feel productive. Being productive creates feelings of self-worth and you can see where you've been. Then there is a sense of belonging from the sharing of stories and reminiscing about things that remind us of happy times and places that hold a special spot in our hearts. It also makes us think about permanence and change, and places us in the continuum of culture and time. The hands become organs of thought...and conversation.
At MRC North, we create many opportunities for group activities. Many new arrivals are unfamiliar with western notions of counselling and one-on-one therapy. Attending groups is a much more comfortable way to engage, seek connection and assistance.
Group work is essential because the experiences that former refugees have can make them feel fearful and cautious in unfamiliar environments. These activities provide a space to come together in safe groups to make friends, support one another, learn to trust again and practice English.
Creating and producing things does not require fluent English. A language teacher once said to me "you don't need perfect English to be able to knit or embroider, you just need to understand the language of patterns, or be able to copy repetitive steps". In fact, you don't even have to talk!
One of the common reasons people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds do not say much in mainstream group activities is because they are not confident with their level of English, or they are reluctant to speak in heavily accented English. It can be uncomfortable. When English is not your first language, you have to think ahead about the words and phrases you want to use. Depending on the situation, you might not even know the right words to use in that context.
Knitting and sewing together has the effect of fostering communal sense and a concentration on the present moment. Occupying our hands engages our brains, focuses our thinking and can alleviate anxiety...
- Ella Dixon
I remember not speaking for over two terms in my first year at high school because I was conscious of my messed up (and therefore giggle-worthy) Filipino-American accent where "f" sounds were more like "p" - so fish would come out as pish. There is no r-flapping in words like better, water, or letter. The syllables are often evened out. For example, an Aussie might say "cert'n" while a Filipino will say "sir tan" for the word certain. It is giggle-worthy, isn't it?
There is nothing more embarrassing and disheartening than working up the courage to speak up in a group situation only for someone to say "pardon, can you repeat that"?, or "sorry, what do you mean"? Or worst still, they frown, try to copy you or laugh at what you've said. I digress.
Back to busy hands are happy hands. With the CWA's donations, we will be knitting Bhutanese scarves and beanies. In the summer holidays, we will do some cross stitching with women and children. These activities will be full of fun and laughter, and storytelling. New connections will be made and there will be acts of recollecting, remembering and comparing.
And just in keeping with the hands theme, I love this from Maryrose Wood:
"Busy hands and idle minds have knitted many a sweater. Busy minds and idle hands have knitted many a brow".
- Ella Dixon is the chief executive officer of the Migrant Resource Centre North.