Teach and Train Young People to make Wigs
From "People Powered Green Street"
Go to the project
Proposed budget
Description
I run a successful salon business in Queen’s Market, Green Street. This project aims to provide young people with the skills and training to develop their own businesses and give them the tools to take charge of their own futures. I would use this funding to provide training to young people to be able to do a range of hairstyles on themselves, their families or even to start their own small business.
In our ethnic communities, hair is an important part of our culture and how we care for each other. Being able to care for our own hair is especially important when most salons do not cater to a diversity of hair types. Curly and coily hair often needs to be worn in protective styles like braids, twists, and wigs to avoid breakage. Different hair types also require very different kinds of care. It can require lots of skills to do these styles for ourselves, our children and our families. I will be training 10 people in these styles, giving them control over their own hair and the ability to transfer the skills to their community.
What they will learn:
- How to braid hair
- How to make their own tailored wigs
- Protective styling for afro hair
- How to prevent breakage
- How to wash and use products in hair
- An introduction to starting a salon business
Trainees will receive personal learning plans, to track their progress and understand their development. Hair businesses like mine are an integral part of the culture of Queen’s Market and, through running my business and learning from other small business owners within the market, I have had the privilege of learning and growing my hair styling into the successful business it is today. This project will give people the opportunity to learn and grow within the local community, just as I did.
I strongly believe that this project would provide a safe space for young people to develop their confidence and self-esteem, as well as their employability and interpersonal skills. It would increase their connection to each other and to their local community, which will in turn bolster the unique community of Queen’s Market for the next generation of small business owners. Opportunities such as these give people the tools they need to feel agency over their bodies, get a stable income, and help establish a secure future for themselves.