West Vancouver School District 45
Funders:
Bonnie J McLaren Memorial Fund
Nancy Farran Compelling Opportunities Fund
Project Overview
The Ribbon Skirt project saw students in Textiles at West Vancouver Secondary School and Sentinel Secondary School collaborating and working together to make 50 skirts to be gifted to and worn by participants in the 33rd Annual Women’s Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls+ on February 14th, 2024. The recipients are friends and family of MMIWG2+ people.
Understanding The Context
Throughout the project, students learn about some of the history of the ribbon skirt and how it represents resilience and cultural pride for First Nations Peoples in many parts of North America, as well as the origins of
National Ribbon Skirt Day in Canada.
Students have also gained a deeper understanding of the crisis of MMIWG2S+ across our continent, the importance of bringing more awareness to this issue, and how individual acts can influence positive change in the community. We discussed how gifting these skirts
to participants in the Women’s March can make a difference in raising awareness, honouring, and offering comfort to those that have lost a loved ones.
They had the experience of collaborating and sewing together to make a positive social impact on our community.
Developing and Applying Technical Skillsets
Students used their technical skillsets in cutting, following instructions, sewing, and finishing to make these skirts. Students also learned ribbon application and the importance of having a clean and accurate finish – especially when making something for someone
else.
They gained a better understanding of wider-scaled production and production management in groups and quality control, while also gaining hands-on experience in producing pieces for a specific end-user.
Final Results
Together, our Textiles classes completed 50 skirts. Each one unique and special, made with care, and made with the constant presence of MMIWG2S+ in our thoughts and intentions throughout the process.
Future Goals
We hope to continue working together on the Red Ribbon Skirt Project. The students especially look forward to being a part of this project again.
We plan to raise even more awareness on the Red Ribbon Skirt Project outside of our Textiles classes and throughout our school community through creating displays that share our learning with others.
