BLACKSBURG – ChangemakerYOU, Inc. held its first Piecework in Practice Intergenerational Leadership Experience for Women and Girls on Sept. 23 at Margaret Beeks Elementary School in Blacksburg.
The event brought together 21 fourth- and fifth-grade girls, three mothers, four Virginia Tech women’s basketball student-athletes (Carleigh Wenzel, Alyssa Latham, Samyha Suffren, and Aniya Trent) and five additional adults for an afternoon focused on encouragement, courage, connection, and collaborative leadership.
Piecework uses quilt-making as a metaphor for understanding the individual “pieces” each person brings to the world and the ways those pieces can be stitched together with the pieces of others to make the world work better for everyone.
The name draws intentionally on the connection between the words “piece” and “peace,” inviting participants to consider how understanding and appreciating ourselves and one another can help create the conditions for more courageous and collaborative action.
During the experience, participants explored the quilt metaphor through conversation and hands-on activities and played an original collaborative game called “Stitches: A Game of Hope and Humanness” designed to encourage storytelling, reflection, and connection across generations.
Piecework in Practice emphasizes collaborative leadership and the belief that everyone brings something of value to the whole.
“We want to support girls and younger women to understand that leadership does not begin with having all the answers and taking charge. It starts with understanding and appreciating yourself and others and having the courage to bring your gifts (your pieces) to the whole. Everyone has something important the world needs. At ChangemakerYOU, we define encouragement as creating the conditions for courage to grow. Piecework in Practice gives women and girls a place to experiment with creating those conditions together,” said Patti Ann Talbot, Founder/Executive Director of ChangemakerYOU.
Early responses suggest that the ideas resonated with participants. One parent described the experience as “uplifting and encouraging” and noted the presence of strong role models. Another reported that her daughter was already using language from the experience to describe aspects of herself. An adult participant said the activities helped fourth- and fifth-graders grasp ideas that might otherwise seem abstract.
The intergenerational dimension is important by design. ChangemakerYOU approaches mentorship as something that can flow in both directions, creating opportunities for younger and more experienced women to listen to, learn from, and encourage one another.
The September event was the first school-based Piecework in Practice experience, but ChangemakerYOU hopes it will not be the last. The organization is interested in hearing from schools and community organizations open to future Piecework gatherings; women interested in participating or volunteering; and individuals, businesses, foundations, and other organizations interested in helping support or sponsor the work.
For more information or to begin a conversation about bringing Piecework in Practice to another setting, contact ChangemakerYOU at [email protected] or visit changemakeryou.org.
ChangemakerYOU, Inc.
