In October Craftspace welcomed Dana, an apprentice from Germany, for a 3 week placement. It was great to have Dana’s help throughout the three weeks and here she shares her thoughts about her experience:

Being new will never be a good feeling. You are nervous and think about everything – who works there, will they be nice to me? You’re in a state of uncertainty and it’s making you crazy. You can’t sleep very well, you don’t know what to wear…and then it’s time to go.

I visited the company the day before so I knew where it is but it’s still not the same. You have to be punctual and you are thinking what you will do when there’s traffic. But everything went right and I stood in front of the big building, went upstairs and knocked on the door. Emma opened the door with a big smile and that was the point where I was relieved.

During the week the word “Shelanu” appeared several times. I didn’t know what it is and I had a look at their website. Refugee and migrant women are making jewellery by themselves. There are several collections and all of them are related to the women and their new home Birmingham.

Every Friday some of the women come to Craftspace and work on the jewellery. I have the opportunity to meet them several times and helping at making jewellery. It was really great. They are so cute and I like them very much. A woman named Ruth is especially dear to my heart. She is so happy to see everyone again and you could see that it all means a lot to her. It is much more than working on jewellery. They are understood and valued here. Colleagues became real friends. Shelanu attends many workshops with them. They get to know artists and are able to develop creatively. They also get real recognition for their passionately produced high quality jewellery that looks really beautiful.

Being new will never be a good feeling, everyone has experienced it, but I don’t think anyone can put themselves in the position of women. With the fantastic support of Craftspace, the women go through life self-confidently and can be proud of themselves – thank you Craftspace!

Dana Schreck

Thank you so much Dana!

We wish her all the best for the future.