Flavia, Brazil

“SisterWorks is the support that I need to practice English, to show my arts, meet people and build my new network of contacts.”

My name is Flavia, and I am from Brazil. I have one son. He is 12. My family and I visited Australia in 2010, and in December of 2013 we settled in Melbourne. We came here to get out of our comfort zone, to have a better quality of life, and to have security for my family.

Initially, there were challenges: my English was just basic, I didn’t have any friends, we had little money, and I didn’t have a job. In Brazil, I had worked many years with technology, and I was a computer, arts, and meditation teacher for five years. Now I teach Portuguese to children five hours a week.

I prefer to make crafts out of recycled material. I crochet with plastic bags: coin purses, carpets, and placemats. I also make dream-catchers out of magazines, mandalas out of old CDs . . . many things! My passion for crafts began during my childhood, when I watched my grandfather make fishing nets. My grandmother taught me to crochet and knit. I learned to sew with my mother. My aunt transformed glass bottles into beautiful goblets. Making crafts heals my soul.

I met Luz in 2014 on Facebook, through a Brazilian woman. When I’m at the SisterWorks labs I feel happy and helpful, and I feel that I can develop my own business—and help others, too. SisterWorks has also encouraged me to speak without being ashamed if I speak incorrectly.

My dream is to teach young people and adults to make crafts using recyclable material. I believe SisterWorks is the door to the path I want to follow, because the project has professionals who know Australia, and who mainly speak fluent English. SisterWorks is the support that I need to practice English, to show my arts, meet people and build my new network of contacts.

Discover your power recycle your ideas, preserve nature, be at peace and be happy!