KUCHING (Jan 10): Award-winning social enterprise Catama is collaborating with the British Council in Malaysia and Applied Arts Scotland to deliver a free training programme for Sarawak craft makers.
Aimed to upskill them in entrepreneurship and develop their businesses, ‘Crafting Business’ will run online from this month until March.
The programme involves highly-experienced craft mentors such as Lucille Awen John from Pungu Borneo, Jackie Fong from Tanoti, and Catama co-founder Catriona Maddocks, for a series of weekend workshops and sharing sessions, which will be conducted virtually.
In a statement, British Council in Malaysia said this programme focuses on all the essentials of entrepreneurship knowledge, including setting business goals, product development, artisan story-telling, sales and marketing, as well as financial planning and management.
The programme also introduces and incorporates the British Council Digital Craft Toolkit, a set of bite-sized interactive activities that offer artisans, designers, and creative entrepreneurs an opportunity to expand their business knowhow through an online, interactive app and toolkit.
“This toolkit is developed by Applied Arts Scotland for the British Council’s Crafting Futures programme, and is accessible for free online. Catama, alongside The Tuyang Initiative and Ranee Artisan Gallery have been commissioned by the British Council to test it in Sarawak,” said the statement.
British Council in Malaysia Arts and Creative Industries head Florence Lambert said through the British Council Digital Craft Toolkit, craft makers will hopefully benefit from the engaging and interactive e-learning activities based on four core themes.
“Previously, the Digital Craft Toolkit has met positive responses from training conducted to craft makers, especially those in the rural areas in the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, and so we are delighted to be supporting Catama to bring this toolkit to Sarawak,” she said.
Lambert pointed out ‘Crafting Business’ hopes to support craft makers and artisans in Sarawak who already have a business, or those who are seeking to start one.
“Given the challenging nature for small artisan businesses to sustain in the era of pandemic, this programme aims to assist in practical business development that would meet the participants’ individual goals. The programme is open to all Sarawakians, or Malaysians currently residing in Sarawak,” she said.
Meanwhile, lead facilitator for the programme Maddocks said over the past two years Sarawakians have shown their resilience and capacity to innovate and respond to such big challenges.
“We’ve seen rural and urban creatives turn craft hobbies into viable businesses in order to support their families. We hope that this training can help these aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their skills and fill in any knowledge gaps, to ensure their businesses can continue to thrive and showcase the talent of Sarawak,” she said.
For more information or registration, go to bit.ly/sarawakcraft.
Based in Sarawak, Catama is a social enterprise working with rural and urban communities and indigenous artisans to document and innovate traditional craft and cultural practices, and explore contemporary approaches to Borneo’s unique heritage.
Go to www.catamaborneo.com or visit its Facebook or Instagram pages.
Source: https://www.theborneopost.com/2022/01/10/free-training-programme-to-equip-sarawak-craft-makers-with-business-skills/