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>View discussions about this entry Country: United States
Organization: Melissa Tyson Designs
Sector Focus - Business
Year the initative began (yyyy) - 2008
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? - To help women from around the world, victims of trafficking, refugees,etc., learn the trade of jewerly making, as a way for them to help provide income for their families and villages.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? - Im not so sure that it's extremely different, only that i want to help make a difference.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? - My first opprotunity to teach 25 refugee women that have been brought with their families to the united states, from Burma, Burdundi, Iraq and Sudan, and they need a way to work from home as they have children. My challege is to come up with enough equipment to teach these women a foundation in jewelry making. This organization also works with victims of human trafficking and i hope to train these women as well, to give them a healthy way to make money and get them reacclimated into society.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? - One step at a time. Connect with agencies working with victims of trafficking and offer to come in and train the women that would like to learn the trade of jewelry making.
Do you have any existing partnerships, and if so, how do you create them? - The only one currently is with World Relief, in High Point, NC. And im making contact with another agency called The Passport out of Atlanta, GA. Networking, word of mouth and finding other people who are passionate about helping in the realm of human trafficking.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. - I hope to give these women a sense of purpose and dignity in teaching them a skill that they can use to make a living.
How many people have you served or plan to serve? - I will be teaching my first workshop to 25 women in High Point, NC on April 22 and 23, 2008. And hope they will be the first of countless many.
Please list any other measures of the impact of your innovation? - This field has not been completed. (83 words or less)
Exactly who are the beneficiaries of your innovation? - the women and their families.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? - Currently it is financed out of pocket and by word of mouth about people hearing what i am doing and donating money to provide tools and equipment and metal for the women to work with.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization - Annual budget;
Annual revenue generated; Number of staff: Currently there is no budget. I am just taking the donations and the rest out of pocket to buy the materials and tools necessary to teach with. What is the potential demand for your innovation? - could be very large and involve hundreds of women. i have been asked by another organizaion in South Carolina that works also with refugees and victims of human trafficking to come and teach them women there to make jewelry! i think it's only a matter of time
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? - To find enough funding to provide the women that are really intrested in pursuing this futher as a way to make a living, with enough tools and materials to get their business off the gound .
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. - I started studing the sexual slave trade in college 12 years ago. And since then every time i come across is i am so moved. Also im fascinated with other cultures and the beauty of the people. I was reading about the prevelance of trafficking here in North Carolina in the sunday paper and my fiance said why dont you pursue this passion to help....so i got one the internet and found World Relief. called and asked how i could help, give money etc. i said well can i tell you a little dream ive had in my heart for years, is to go to other countries and teach women how to make jewlery to make a living. She replied this is amazing, i have on my list of things to do today: find someone to come and teach these women how to make jewelry! Wow. So it begins.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material - My name is Melissa Tyson and i am a jeweler. I have a passion for learning about peoples cultures and helping in any way i can. Recently a long time dream is coming to reality, teaching women the trade of jewelry making as a way to make a living and povide for their families. Starting with 25 refugee women from Burma, Burundi, Iraq and Sudan!
Contact Information:
melissa tyson
Jeweler Melissa Tyson Designs (Individual) Discussions about this entry |
Teaching Jewelry Making to Women to help make a living
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Hi Melissa,
I'm a social entrepreneur and this subject high on my radar / research. Doing an inspirational / collaborative book about women participating in various stages of social enterprise / social justice / faith based- I love your personal story, would like others to be inspired, and have a really great feeling about where you are going. Would you like to participate in our book - already enlisted a few authors including two best selling- can give you more info if you'd like to contact me - would love to chat.
Cynthia
Compathos
cynth@mil-media.com
Hi Melissa,
I think teaching women a trade who have been affected by trafficking is extremely admirable. By the way the previous comments appear, it sounds as though you have really been able to reach out to people and your organization is taking off. You mentioned above in your posting that you would like help women worldwide who are victims of trafficking, does this include travelling abroad and teaching in the villages? Or are you strictly focusing on the US and have a ripple affect back to these women's local communities? Do you have a website where you keep postings of workshops or have plans to create a platform for people to communicate about the benefits of your organization rather than just word of mouth? I am in no way an expert jewelry maker, but it is a hobby of mine that I love sharing with other people. I also have a strong passion for travelling and experiencing new cultures. Do you know of any organizations like yours in Oregon? Or have suggestions of ways to get involved? Reading your posting really struck a cord in me! Seeing someone with a passion putting it to good use is so inspirational. Great job!
-Courtney
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MIM, Portland State University
hi courtney!
great to hear from you! thanks so much for reading my post... and so many great questions...
honestly this is soooo new to me... it's only opened up in the last few months, through a literal divine appointment!
it has been a dream in my heart for 15 years and now to see it in action, leaves me in awe! the women are sooo beautiful and talented. my favortie is teaching them and giving them an outlet to laugh and create and hopefully make a living one day, if they so choose.
right now im just in the teaching stage with them... and im looking to connect with some already established organizations to market their work.. that's not my strong suit.
and for organizations in oregon... im not tooo sure... the organization im with is called world relief.
please feel free to stay in touch! im so glad you emailed!
have a lovely day
melissa
Hi Melissa
Your program sounds really interesting. This is Andrea Powell from FAIR Fund in D.C. We are currently working with a group of girl survivors of trafficking in Serbia to teach them to make jewelry as a form of income generation, art therapy, and finally social integration. I just posted our own competition online and would be happy to just talk to you by phone or email to see how we might learn from one another as we grow and strengthen our program.
Andrea Powell
FAIR Fund
apowell@fairfund.org
hi peter!
just check out your site and love what you all are doing down in peru! teaching the kids and art form to
help provide financially for them! it's fantastic.
how many of you started this and has finding places to sell the cards been challenging?
im very curious
are you doing all the marketing yourself?
and if so are you a photographer by trade?
i see that yall volunteer your teaching to the kids which is great as well!
have a wonderful day
melissa
Hello Melissa,
How did your first workshop go for the 25 women in NC on April 22nd and 23rd? Do you have more of these workshops scheduled? Where is the jewelery being sold?
Thank you.
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
hi dana!
it went fantastic! better than i could have imagined really... the women were very receptive and extremely creative and fast learners! i had about half of the class say they would like to do this as a job... which was amazing to me and very humbling. so i have been back for a third workshop. and am putting together a newsleter to get donations for tool kits to get them started in their homes! i have a fantastic tool resourse wiredupbeads.com, the owner donated all the tools for the class and is giving a wonderful discount for the startup kits.
as for selling. ive contacted local ten thousand village stores, some are receptive some not so much.
they live within walking distance of a local farmers market, so they hopefully will make some sales there and a community of friends.
and there's a store owner in st. louis that has a fair trade company and is going to meet with me when i fly up there next week... to help give me an idea of how his business is set up, he buys from artisans all over the world!
so it's in stage two right now...
i will be going back intermitantly to do continuing education.
and working on a more solid plan to help market their jewelry.
are you involed with changmakers? what a great website!
thanks so much for contacting me and if you have any ideas or advice im all ears!
have a lovely day
we have a great need for partnership with jewelry designers and instructors as we make jewelry at several of the shelters we work with and are expanding jewelry programs into other partners. You can read about us in our website or in our proposal in this contest, but if you are interested in partnering please contact me at john @ madebysurvivors.com
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John Berger
The Emancipation Network
http://www.madebysurvivors.com/
hi john!
that sounds amazing i will go to your site right away and would love to connect and see what you all are up to! sounds very similar and i'm very open to learning from exsisting models, since this is such a new endevor for me!
i will go to your site as well! please keep in contact!
thanks so much
melissa
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Peter den Hond
Director FairMail Cards
www.fairmail.info
peter@fairmail.info