My Personal Project | Sian McGilligan

For my Personal Project I am creating teddy bears for children who are escaping from domestic violence. These bears are designed for children so they have something that is personal, and that they can use for emotional support. To make these teddy bears I have decided that my learning goal will be to learn how to crochet. 

I am making these bears not only to bring comfort to the children experiencing domestic violence, but to also raise awareness of domestic violence. 

My initial interest started looking into the issue of traumatic brain injuries and in particular Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), as a family member has recently been diagnosed with CTE. CTE is currently getting a lot of media coverage often associated with elite sports people who have sustained multiple traumatic  brain injuries. At first the bears were meant to be as a comfort toy for those suffering from dementia caused by CTE. However, my focus changed when I learnt that it is estimated the number of women who experience traumatic brain injuries is close to 12 times the number of traumatic brain injuries experienced by military personnel and athletes combined. When these women flee the abusive relationship, they often leave their family home with nothing other than the clothes on their backs. So, the bears then became a comfort gift to children who left their homes with their mothers. In Australia, 11.3% of adults have experienced violence from a partner. Australia ranks eighth amongst G20 nations for rates of domestic violence against women.

One of the challenges that I faced when making my product was not realising how time consuming, fiddley, and difficult it was to learn how to crochet for the first time. However, through these challenges I have learnt the importance of concentration and patience. The ATL skills that I have applied and developed when making my product are time management and reflection. These skills were important because they ensured that I stayed on track with making my product and allowed me to make any necessary changes to my product. Not only are these skills useful when completing my product, they are also able to be used in other subjects to help stay on track, on task and able to make any necessary edits to your work. The most enjoyable part about personal project is being able to have time to learn a new skill that you are passionate about and being able to express how you achieved it.