Kerry County Council Upcycling with Students

Kerry County Council has been working with the upcycling company Sew Unique to offer recycling and reuse projects with transition year students in Colaiste na Sceilge, Cahersiveen.

The Re-cycling Design Project is a design project, utilising recycling materials. It is based on a design idea that can be wearable or used as a decoration/functional piece. Each class was divided into groups of 4/5 pupils, who created a storyboard, fulfilling a list of criteria and present their final design piece to a judging panel. The project schedule consisted of a number of consultation sessions, which were adapted to the school’s schedule. They involved brainstorming, presentations on creativity and innovation. One design was chosen as the winner.

 

Creative Re-cycling Project – Transition Year and Home Economics students is a creative project utilising recycling materials for the purpose of creating a stylish cap that can be worn by children and adults undergoing chemotherapy treatment resulting in hair loss. The design has been created and Sew Unique offered an opportunity to the students to work together on creating the caps and making a contribution to the Kerry community.

The project schedule consisted of the following consultation sessions, which were adapted to the school’s schedule.

  • Researching and sourcing local charity shops for supplies (fabric and accessories)
  • Make and create the caps x 6 sessions
  • Visit a children’s hospital to present a quantity of caps (hospital to be chosen)

Aims and objectives of Project included –

  • Inspired learning
  • Creativity and imagination
  • Innovation and motivation
  • Research and Team work Environmental and consumer habits awareness
  • Communication skills
  • Project and planning management
  • Self-confidence building
  • Presentation skills
  • Mental health awareness Community and social awareness

 

The aim is to introduce the project to other secondary schools in County Kerry in due course.