International House Alberta, University of Alberta, in partnership with Changing Together, has received a grant from the Davis Peace Foundation to create a sewing studio for immigrant and refugee women in Edmonton.

The studio will hold sewing classes for the purpose of providing support for women especially from war-torn countries, to provide them with a safe place to meet and make friends, to socialize, and to improve their mental and emotional well-being while learning new skills that will ultimately help them earn an income.

The project – “Sewing Peace: A Fabric of Support for Women Displaced by War” – hopes to connect the participants to support networks and services that will provide them with meaningful life experiences, to prepare them for future employment in the industry, and to train them in starting their own business and other revenue-generating projects in the future.

Changing Together has been providing services to immigrant women and their families since 1984, including English language proficiency, computer literacy, bi-cultural parenting and prevention of family violence classes, non-therapeutic counseling, healing circle, and pre-employment training, among others.

With the grant from Davis Projects for Peace 2018, International House Alberta and Changing Together hope to open the doors to the sewing studio on October 1, 2018 on the third floor of the McCauley School Building, 9538 – 107 Avenue.

For more information about the project and to register, please contact (780) 421-0175 or email info@changingtogether.com.

Article provided by Changing Together.