11-year-old Tavia Burrowes loves crochet and her passion for the craft recently granted her the opportunity to visit Antigua and Barbuda during her Easter vacation. This all started when Thalia Burrowes, her older sister visited “Crochet at the Centre” in January 2024, expressing an interest in the crochet classes for Tavia. Tavia’s diligence in attending these classes enabled her to be selected as the youth representative to attend the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, and Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy Crochet for a Cause: Ridge to Reef workshops scheduled for April 11-12 at the Antigua Public Library.
Tavia receives instruction from Karen Roberts during the Crochet for a Cause workshop in Antigua and Barbuda
Accompanied by her mother, Tracia Burrowes, Tavia joined the team of creatives, Karen Roberts, Nikisha Toppin, and Sybil Fiedler, to host five crochet workshops to create replicas of the land and sea environment for environmental awareness.
During the workshop, Tavia was able to develop her handcraft skills, interact with crochet artisans, and learn from their experience in the field. While she had learned crochet techniques through online resources and participated in crochet classes locally, the trip offered her the opportunity to further refine her skills under the guidance of experienced mentors.
“I had three goals. One of them was to complete most of my crochet tasks. Two, to help people in some way and three, the most important for me was to have fun.”
During the weekend, Tavia was also able to have a cultural experience visiting Heritage Quay, Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley Heights, and Devil’s Bridge. “My favourite was Devil’s Bridge. The view at the sea was beautiful. The waves were high and the sea was nice and blue.”
A polite and engaging student from The Lester Vaughan School, Tavia is looking forward to learning more about the craft of crochet. “To me it’s important because it is a fun hobby and it can be passed on in the family. I can also have a small business controlled by a parent or guardian safely. It also makes me calm when I crochet.” Tavia will continue taking crochet classes from Elaine’s Caribbean Crochet to improve her skills and exposure to the craft.
