Problem:
In July 2014, Kiki
magazine collaborated with the
Live It Like You Mean It 501(c)3 Foundation, a mentorship program encouraging underserved youth to graduate and live sustainable lives, on a fashion and technology workshop called
KikiLIVE 2.0. This workshop brought together more than 130 girls from the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky region to learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) topics
in a whole new way: through the lens of fashion design and creativity. Led by real female role models in the STEM and fashion fields, KikiLIVE attendees spent all day in activity stations exploring technology, conducting lab experiments on fabric swatches,
and creating their very own piece of wearable technology: a light-up LED bracelet.
Through this wearable project, attendees learned how to machine sew the fabric pieces, hand sew conductive thread to create a circuit, and create a Velcro switch to close the circuit and illuminate the LED lights when wearing the bracelet.
For most of the girls, it was their first experience with sewing, and they were eager to learn more. Their excitement was palpable. Then came the
problem. Girls began to realize they may not have access to machines or the resources for continued learning after the event. Almost as soon as their dreams and visions of learning how to sew—and the possibilities for creativity, innovation,
exploration, and self-reliance that come with it—expanded in their minds, they were deflated.
We want to bring back that joy, confidence, and creativity they experienced during KikiLIVE 2.0!
Help us reach our goal of $20,000.00 to provide TWO 8-week long sewing clubs to girls in the Cincinnati region. If we exceed our goal and fund $100,000.000, or
FIVE 8-week long clubs, the Kiki magazine Editor-in-Chief will dye her never-before-dyed hair HOT PINK! (And of course, we wouldn't miss documenting even a second of that for you!)
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
― Nelson Mandela
Our solution is simple:
We want to bring the equipment, tools, supplies, notions, and educators to girls in need with after-school sewing clubs.
Kiki and LILYMI Foundation will develop a series of lessons that will allow girls to learn at their own pace, develop important life and social skills, and create their own useable--and wearable--items.
With your help, we plan to serve the Cincinnati, OH area as a starting point. Our future goal is to expand this project beyond Cincinnati to all deserving girls ready to build confidence and creativity.
View our Sew Much More trailer-Now in CYBERSPACE near you!
Why it's so important:
Providing sewing instruction to underserved girls is important because when girls learn to sew, they learn SO much more than just stitch patterns and sewing techniques. Sewing teaches individuals:
• To follow directions
• To think and plan before doing
• To operate a sewing machine (physics, mechanics, and technology)
• To take body measurements and create patterns with those measurements (mathematics and precision)
• To identify fibers and learn how they react to the environment around them (science)
• To practice resilience by recovering from mistakes (all sewers make them)
• To practice patience, as projects are not instantly created
• To experiment to see what works and what does not
• To transform ideas into actual, useable items
• Philanthropy by providing opportunities to create items for others in need (e.g., Little Dresses for Africa).
Most importantly, girls learn that they have agency – they can take action to learn new skills that change and improve the course of their lives
Sew Much More's Plan for Classes
Over the last few months, LILYMI and Kiki held a
trial run for the Sew Much More Club. View the following
class descriptions, which reflect the learnings from this trial run that will be used to create and enhance the final club upon funding.
Values
Kiki magazine and LILYMI are two organizations committed to helping girls be "more than." We want girls to be more than their appearance, more than their grades, more than their performance, and more than their situation. The Sew Much More sewing
club will help girls stretch themselves, learn something new, develop new skills, and express their own creative self. These activities are at the core of our shared values.
You can help us show girls that they are Sew Much More! Donations of $15.00 could provide a girl with the two yards of jersey they need to make their shirts. Donations of $100.00 could ensure all the girls have a sewing kit to work with for each class.
Donations of $250 or more dollars would help provide equipment like sewing machines and provide the valued instructors needed to make this class a reality. These materials and this opportunity may not seem like much, but it means Sew Much More to girls who
would otherwise not have this chance to learn!
Likewise, if you share our mission with at least three other people and encourage them to do the same, we can reach an expansive population of those who care. Simply getting the word out is the first step to build a network of strong role models
willing to put forth effort to make a difference in our future women's lives.