Have you recently seen a hoard of students walking around the school with knitting needles in their hands? Have you noticed the kid sitting in front of you in your government class earnestly knitting a scarf during the lecture? If you are wondering what they are doing, I will be the first to tell you. And no, this is not another one of IB’s stereotypes, but yes, they are doing this as an aspect of the IB program!
At this point, I’m sure we have all heard of CAS – creativity, action, and service, as one of the many demanding components of the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program. IB students need to acquire at least 50 hours of each discipline over the two years they are in the program. One aspect of the service component is organizing and initiating an individual service project. For their service project, seniors Julia Olivieri and Leora Haber decided to put their creative talents to use and organized a knitting service project.
Julia Olivieri, a knitting expert, has been knitting since she was about six or seven. Leora Haber originally learned to knit in the third grade, put the pastime aside for a while, and revisited her love in the eleventh grade.
How does one properly organize and execute a service project? This project did not take that much effort to get started, as many of Julia and Leora’s peers were eager to get involved and help them. All the girls really had to do was buy needles and yarn and organize and meeting time, and the project success skyrocketed. It came to the point where teachers were even banning yarn and needles during class! Mostly seniors and juniors signed up for Mrs. Celebre’s “knitting” RAM. Even those who had never picked up needles before were interested in the project participation. This led Leora and Julia to create a new component of their project: teaching students how to knit.
Think of something you’re good at – whether it’s a sport, a subject in school, or a creative activity – and now imagine teaching it to someone else. It seems pretty difficult, right? Well, this is a challenge that Leora and Julia had to face.
“I thought that it would be pretty hard to teach people, because I know when I was learning it took me a while to get the hang of it, but I was really impressed with how quickly people picked it up,” says Olivieri. “I would usually teach the person to cast on [which is how a stich is started], and then show them two or three stitches in slow motion, and then watch as they tried a few on their own.”
The modest Leora claims that it really isn’t that difficult to teach, as long as the student is adamant and determined to acquire the skill. Leora promotes the approach of using the Internet to learn how to knit.
“One of the best methods of teaching may be showing a YouTube video where someone else teaches you how to knit. That was how I learned to crochet,” remarks Haber.
Julia, Leora, and about fifteen others were able to create about 50 items this fall, consisting of hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves. They decided to donate their creations to Cradles for Crayons, an organization dedicated to helping deserving children feel safe and warm by providing them with essentials such as clothing and schools supplies. The girls and a few other members of their knitting team had the opportunity to volunteer for an hour and a half at the Cradles to Crayons warehouse while they were donating their knitted clothing.
At the warehouse, the group picked up orders of winter coats and shoes for children in need. The group then chose from the clothing at the warehouse, creating bags for the children. Even though there were so many clothes at the warehouse, they did not have enough hats, scarves, boots, or winter coats.
“It was humbling to see how much more is needed by organizations like this, and it made me want to continue the project even more,” remarks Olivieri. Leora Haber reflects on her experience at the warehouse. “Cradles to Crayons was heartbreaking. The first thing I became aware of when we visited was how comparatively little we were able to produce. Once we started filling up the bags with what the kids needed, it became apparent that there was not nearly enough to go around. They had enough general clothing, but it was agonizing to reach for a pair of winter boots and realize that your kid would have to go through the winter in Converse instead. The same goes for winter jackets.
Involvement with Leora and Julia’s project has even reached beyond the Harriton community. Junior Aliyah Nissim rallied a group of her friends from camp to knit for the worthy cause. The girls eagerly plan to resume their knitting project after midterm exams. They hope for their project to continue for years to come as they are looking for a junior to take the lead.
Julia and Leora’s project is a great demonstration of how you can put your creative talents to good use. It does not take much to make a difference in your community; all you need is dedication and support.