March 19th, 2025
For our March Craftivism Collective meeting, we had Shirley Valera of Sin Barreras join us to tell us about all the amazing work they are doing in the community. Just want to take a moment for a community shout-out:
With offices in Charlottesville and Waynesboro, Sin Barreras assists immigrants in Central Virginia in accessing resources like law services, medical clinics, and educational programming. Shirley spoke about the safe and supportive learning environment they cultivate in each program they offer, including driver’s license, digital literacy, English, and citizenship classes. Sin Barreras has also partnered with the Consulate of Mexico to give people a chance to finish their primary and secondary schooling.
As changes to immigration policy are coming rapidly (and being challenged in courts), Sin Barreras is also increasing the advocacy work they do in the community. In February, more than 250 people attended their Know Your Rights workshop.
How you can support Sin Barreras:
Financial Support: In order to grow new programs and hire more staff, Sin Barreras needs monetary support. As most of our ancestors immigrated to this land in some way or another, consider helping out this generation of people new to town.
Celebrate Latin American culture at the Cville Sabroso Festival on September 20th at the Pavilion! Get ready for a day full of music, dancing, food, and crafts. https://www.sinbarrerascville.org/cville-sabroso/
Volunteer: Sin Barreras is looking for volunteers to lead English classes (you don’t have to speak any Spanish) as well as help out with the planning/running of the Sobroso Festival. You can reach out about volunteering at volunteer@sinbarrerascville.org.
Don’t believe everything you see on social media. Shirley spoke on how confusion and misinformation can heighten fear and anxiety in our community. Before sharing anything, do what you can to verify the veracity of the information you’re sharing in your communities.
At Scrappy Elephant, we will be collecting grocery store gift cards throughout the month of March for Sin Barreras to distribute to those who need a little extra help right now. If you feel so inclined, you can drop the gift cards off at the checkout counter.
It is Wednesday, and per usual, thanks to this incredible community, we have some really cool things here for you today! A really awesome precious metal clay kiln that comes with a LOT of accoutrements. We have another awesome easel, more fun fabric, lovely coloring books and SO much more! We’d love for you to stop by around noon for Scrappy Crafty Hour- bring whatever project you’re working on and sit and chat with other creative peeps. Wishing you a wonderful and creative day friends!
