Weaving the future with youth in Sainte Luce
The Project Mahampy team was very busy last week, with two major milestones achieved: the Weavers’ sub-cooperatives elected a Weavers’ Union Committee, which then ran two successful Youth Outreach sessions with the help of the SEED Conservation Research Programme (SCRP) team.
When the Weavers’ Cooperative was formed in November 2019, the weavers chose to group themselves into five sub-Cooperatives. Last week the five sub-Cooperatives elected a Weavers’ Union Committee. It will oversee all sub-Cooperatives, the running of the Weavers’ Studio (soon to come!), local laws and procedures, and the conservation of the wetlands. The Union Committee is very excited to begin and to work with SEED to improve their livelihoods and their environment.
The second major milestone came in the form of the Presidents of the sub-Cooperatives running two very successful Youth Outreach sessions, with the help of SCRP. Over 280 children attended overall, far exceeding our expectations. The excitement, laughter and energy from the children were infectious. We all had a fantastic time learning how to weave, creating wetland foodwebs, listening to stories on sustainability and fire management, and acting out all the sounds and sights of the local wetland habitat.
Project Mahampy is moving forward in leaps and bounds, with more exciting developments on the horizon. In the first week of March, we will break ground on the new Weavers’ Studio and commence the weaving skills training sessions. The Weavers’ Cooperative is very motivated to keep up the momentum and it’s all SEED can do to keep up with their ideas and enthusiasm – onwards and upwards!