Nikki Chatham – Recycled Arts
Nikki won the 2015 ACCESS Travel Award and spent eight weeks volunteering in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Nikki’s Travel Award included completing an Action Project, which included:
- Writing blogs about her experiences, family, and projects in Mexico
- Working with local youth groups on recycled arts
- Writing an article for the EIL Newsletter on the evolution of an action project
How Nikki chose her Action Project:
“The original idea for my project was to link a women’s handcraft group with the Knitted Together Project in Dublin. My plan changed during my time in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I was working and living amongst the Oaxaquenos people. I turned to re-reading my blogs to piece ideas together, looking at the common themes, activities, issues, and events that had arisen for me; the one that stuck out most for me was recycling.”
Nikki’s project centred around creating art and usable goods out of recycled products, which was inspired by all the different ways she witnessed the Oaxacans doing the same. Upon returning to Ireland, Nikki has continued to teach recycled art to youth groups and adults that she volunteers with.