BY ELLISON.T.VAHI
WOMEN with special needs attended a workshop at YWCA showcasing their talents.
The women, in their late teens and early 20s, were busy putting the finishing touches to clothes colouring that were to go on show before a select audience at the YWCA.
While all of these young people have special needs, not even the closest examination of their work would give a potential buyer the slightest inkling of this fact.
From the selection of material and accessories to the mixing and colouring, everything about their creations look extremely professional.
Participants said that they are all excited as they gently touched their lovely embellishment.
After all, it was the product of many hours of their own work although anyone looking at it would not imagine that it was created by other person.
“All our children love art, it’s a way of expressing themselves. The colourful clothes displayed are all done by our students,” says a representative.
This the second time that the YWCA hosts such a workshop training for those that with special needing ability.
The students’ approach is very collaborative, a comment from the YWCA staff said.
“The finished products are not the work of one person. Before starting on a project we task-analyse. If we take a product, a handbag for instance, there are certain steps that are simple, certain steps that require more skill, and there are certain steps that require a high degree of skill.
“But all these steps are necessary to ensure that the final product is good. After we task-analyse, we then see which children are capable of doing what, and they are assigned their jobs. So, it is a collective effort.”
Jocelyn says she was impressed with their teamwork.
“I wanted to do something together that would really focus the children’s learning and also help to bring about awareness of their abilities, because they are so talented. I wanted to involve them in a business programme, either working in our head office or in retail, to make them independent.”
