Blousem organized a successful clothing repair workshop in Forum Groningen. They paired young people with older people who taught them everything about repairing clothes. The woolmapping test attracted a lot of attention and resulted in more than 50 respondents. “The collaboration between young people and older people was very natural. In addition to the explanation about repairs, we also overheard conversations about studies, hobbies and other interests. That was of course exactly what we hoped for in advance. ” Says Lisan Stolp, co-founder of Blousem together with Eike van der Weele.

Afterwards, young people indicated that they experienced a sense of connection. Lisan says: “Some of the elderly mentioned that they really enjoyed seeing how happy and proud the young people were of their homemade clothing.” The test showed that 85% of young people are interested in learning to repair clothing. What people were willing to pay varied a lot.. Students were thinking of 8-15 euros per hour and young professionals wanted to pay up to 30-40 euros per hour.

“The test confirmed that the activity contributes to connection between young and old, which is an important factor in preventing loneliness. The next step is to investigate which workshop format appeals most to both target groups: 1-on-1 or in groups. We also want to see whether we can organize this in collaboration with residential care centers. We are also playing with the idea of creating a ‘senior group’ that we can approach if Blousem is asked to give a workshop at an event.”