Spring is peeking through in the city of Manchester, and the young people on our blossoming Youth of the World programme have tons of energy to coincide with the coming shift in season!
This week, arts practitioner Loren was at the side of our 12-and-overs as she guided them through some fabulous lo-fi weaving techniques at Cross Street Chapel.
The art of weaving goes back tens of thousands of years, and our talented participants definitely gave the technique an update with their sharp eye for colour and texture.
Loren tries to use inexpensive and sustainable materials where she can, and with wool and cardboard as this week’s main components, she shows that you can combine a strong visual effect with low impact on the environment.
Young Mayshaa said: ‘I loved making the weaving with wool and ribbon.’
Take a look at their exquisite makes below!
Next up, our 11-and-unders got to grips with making some origami animals.
Some of the paper creatures were a challenge to craft, but that didn’t stop young Darien from making some cute puppies to go into a paper city which everyone collaborated in assembling – including a friendly local Godzilla or two!
RAWWWR!
And as a bonus, founder and CEO Magdalen kindly lent her time to encourage learning through play with games of Yes/No, 7up, exploring movies, countries, fruits, each other’s likes and dislikes, and much more.
Fun and educational, these games had the aim of expanding young people’s vocabulary and interpersonal skills, as well as helping with their creative thinking and social integration.
Another fantastic week on the programme – we can’t wait to see what we’ll get up to on the next session!
Our successful Afrocats x Whitworth event took place this month, and you can find out more about how this unique partnership enriches people’s lives through cost-free creativity here.