Ballina students take part in initiative to put end to 'fast fashion'
Students from St Mary's Secondary School in Ballina with Caroline McGrath, St Vincent de Paul Regional Retail Manager, and Jana Vahey, Manager, Vincent's Charity Shop, Castlebar.
Students in counties Mayo, Galway and Roscommon have taken part in the Young St Vincent de Paul (SVP) Programme,
The initiative, specifically tailored for schools, aims to instill values of empathy, compassion, and social responsibility in young people.
Through this programme, students are empowered to identify issues within their communities and take proactive steps towards addressing them.
As part of an upcycling competition, students received pieces of denim from their local SVP shop and upcycled it for a new purpose, which was won on the day by Transition Year students from St Mary’s Secondary School in Ballina.
The Young SVP group held an upcycling workshop with first years in conjunction with Green Schools.
They upcycled t-shirts into bags. They cut worn-out jeans into patches, first years deigned them and they made a friendship quilt from the patches. The girls used the extra patches to make a cushion cover, bags, pot stand and pencil case.
The students won vouchers for their local Vincents Shop in Ballina. This will continue to encourage students to put an end to fast fashion and shop more sustainably while also supporting SVP.
