From running the puppet studio Spitting Images in London and working as a Game Design Manager for Hasbro UK to being the Creative Coordinator for the animation studio Toonders in Amsterdam, The Nest Community’s co-founder Roz Holt has enjoyed international success. However, returning home and raising a family allowed her to impact the lives of young girls through craft.

Roz’s daughter, Edde Rose, had recently been diagnosed with ASD and was struggling to socialise at school. Running her own leather-based arts practice, Roz had a studio that included, among other things, a sewing machine. To help Edde, a friend was invited to come over and make something in the studio. Soon, word got out that ‘Edde’s mum has a cool space’ and could sew. Other mothers approached Roz about running craft workshops for girls.

Teaching craft to build resilience

The workshops eventually moved out of Roz’s studio into Fallon Cottage, a small space behind the Everton Park library. In 2012, The Craft Nest Project was launched in collaboration with her friend, artist, and maker Jodie Behn, who shared Roz‘s love of children and belief in the holistic benefits of craft.

Roz credits Jodie as being a huge influence on how sustainability became central to The Nest’s development.

Roz says, “Jodie was thrifty by nature and when I met her she’d already been shunning plastics, remaking and recycling for 20 years – way before sustainability was even talked about. She was really a pioneer.”

The Craft Nest Project was sustainable by thriftiness, using low-cost reclaimed materials to make classes affordable.

“We used to heat the old-style plastic bags to then weave them into a pencil case. For Mother’s Day, each girl had to bring in an old dress of their mum’s, which we would cut into strips. Girls would swap pieces and make an upcycled beach bag”.

Although the workshops were run as a business, Roz’s social conscience was awakened and often spots were given to girls that needed some additional support and a place to belong.

Intergenerational connection sharing skills

Demand grew and at times Roz and Jodie were trying to teach hand making skills to groups of 20 girls. Borrowing concepts from Brownie’s, Roz divided the girls by age into two groups, Bluebirds and Red Robins, and gave each girl their own apron to develop a sense of belonging.

With this new system in place, teaching became easier because the older girls were empowered to start teaching the younger ones. With this intergenerational connection girls flourished and none more so than Roz’s own daughter, Edde Rose.

“She just blossomed! It got to the point that Edde was assisting us to teach. We couldn’t have done it without her”.

Interestingly, Edde Rose’s interest in community and charity work developed in parallel with The Nest Community’s evolution. Even as a high school student, she used her creativity and passion for videography and photography to tell the organisation’s stories and connect hearts and minds to its cause.

An idea that continued to grow

The confidence and social skills that Edde Rose acquired have translated to other areas of her life. Not only has she commenced a degree in Social Work, she currently works as the Marketing and Fundraising Coordinator for Autism Queensland.

We are very proud of Edde Rose’s achievements and this year she was invited to join The Nest’s Board as a Junior Observer. We believe she will provide invaluable insights to our strategic growth in years to come.

But the story of The Craft Nest Project didn’t end in 2014. In the tradition of all good sustainable practice, the idea simply evolved. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, The Nest launched Exchange Project, a skill sharing program based on the original Craft Nest concepts.

The program equips young women with valuable skills that not only ignite their creativity but also instil a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Since its launch over 200 young women have been through the program through partnerships with several local high schools.

And yes, we still use sewing machines to launch the girls into the world of crafting!

Learn more about The Nest Community’s free mentoring program, the Exchange Project