Milpitas High School students teach crochet skills to seniors

For over a year now, the Milpitas High School Crochet club has been running the Crochet and Crafts Program at the Barbara Lee Senior Center. 

The program began in the Summer of 2023 as a community outreach event held at the Senior Center by the Crochet Club in collaboration with Design for Impact, another club at Milpitas High School. During the event, students gave out over a hundred bags of crochet goods and cards, as well as hosted a workshop where participants could learn the basics of crochet. 

Due to the event’s success, the Crochet Club decided to make the lessons a long-term program at the senior center, according to Crochet Club President and Crochet and Crafts Founder Thi Le. Said Le, “I think we all really saw how crochet could foster this community in Milpitas.” Since becoming an official part of the Senior Center, the Crochet and Crafts Program has held regular sessions. 

The program’s main goals include introducing crochet to a greater audience, bridging generational gaps, and fostering a community of growth, collaboration, and open-mindedness in Milpitas. Additionally, the club’s main mission is to “connect and empower communities through crochet,” according to Le. 

The program workshop is held every two weeks, from 9AM until 12PM, with activities alternating between crochet and crafts each session. Volunteers guide participants through a lesson plan throughout the session. Crochet sessions include lessons on creating beanies, scarves, tote bags, and more. Meanwhile, craft sessions include jewelry making, scrapbooking, painting, and other activities each week. 

So far, the program has had over thirty participants in total. The program follows a drop-in system, allowing anyone who is interested to drop by the Senior Center and participate in the group’s sessions. Materials are provided by the Senior Center, and made possible by Senior Center Program Coordinator Ann Marie Asis and Recreation Services Supervisor John Macon.

Future plans for the program include volunteers and participants creating crochet goods such as scarves and beanies with the intention of donating them during the winter, as well as having participants work on their own projects as they get more comfortable with crocheting. 

Another one of the team’s goals involves reaching out to more high school students for volunteers and implementing a volunteer system at the program. While volunteers are typically MHS Crochet Club members, volunteering slots are open to anyone who is comfortable teaching others.

Information on the program, as well as the Crochet Club, can be found here.