| Welcome
Living In
Safe Alternatives, is
a private, non-profit organization that has served the
needs of abused, abandoned, adjudicated, and neglected
youth for 40 years. Click here for
more information about us.
Stitch Together
 Stitch
Together is
a vocational training program for youth, primarily girls,
ages 14-21 years of age. The goal of the program is
to assist the participants in developing or strengthening
their vocational skills in order to enter competitive
employment market. Our long term objective for each
participant is to obtain successful employment, in a
field of interest, leading to their becoming economically
self-sufficient, healthy and productive members of society.
 Stitch Together The
program teaches vocational skills through participant
operation of an actual yarn shop and handicraft
business. Participants are involved in
all aspects of the business including:
- Retail
yarn sales over the internet, by private
sale and at craft shows.
- Learning to knit and crochet to produce handcrafted
items for sale.
- Marketing and finances.
This type of hands on environment provides the youth
with a sense of accomplishment along with the work,
interpersonal, and coping skills necessary to succeed
in a community work environment.
Participants
receive regular feedback regarding their work performance
and are paid in the form of a stipend provided for hours
worked. Classes on vocational and employment skills
are integrated into the program. The curriculum covers
job skills and career planning, with an emphasis on
the benefits of completing high school and going on
to higher education.
Stitch
Together has been a part of the Living
In Safe Alternatives (L.I.S.A., Inc.) community
since 2003. The program founder conceived
an idea of developing the vocational program where the
youth of L.I.S.A, Inc.'s residential programs
were given the opportunity to learn vocational skills
in a hands-on work experience. An avid knitter and published
designer, she incorporated knitting into the vocational
training and a hands-on
retail web based business to assist the
participants in learning the skills necessary to be
successful in the community work environment. This is
an innovative concept, in that we know of no other program
in Connecticut which utilizes knitting as a vocational
medium.
In our experience, most teenage girls enjoy engaging
in craft activities. Knitting can be an outlet for creative
self-expression and fostering self-esteem, but also
requires skill to learn, including fine motor and eye-hand
coordination, following written directions that involve
interpretation of abbreviations and symbols, and mathematic
skill. Knitting also has a tangible outcome that requires
planning to initiate, patience to follow through and
a sense of accomplishment when the project is complete.
Additionally, knitting can be a relaxing, stress reducing
and constructive hobby which can be learned and enjoyed
for years to come. In fact, a majority of our participants
do knit in their free time and most indicated on a survey
that they would continue to knit in the future.
Stitch
Together's staff understands the challenges
involved in working with the population served by the
program. They provide guidance, information and feedback
in an age appropriate and supportive manner to maximize
participant success and self-esteem. Along with their
skills in working with the participants, the program's
staff brings with them business experience and knowledge
of knitting with the enthusiasm to share that knowledge
with others.
Stitch
Together - is located in a small building
on the grounds of L.I.S.A. Inc.'s residential
program in Plainville, CT. Participants from the agency's
other residential programs are transported to the location
for the vocational program. Stitch Together operates
on Mondays and Thursdays from 3 pm to 5pm. Special events
and craft fairs assist the participants in learning
customer service skills as well as packing and shipping
orders from those received through the web based
venues.
Financial
support for the program has been provided by the Women;
Girls' Fund of the Main Street Community
Foundation, American Savings Foundation, L.I.S.A., Inc.
agency reserve funds and income generated from the program
business.
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