Job Referral Program

Support local women. Promote circular textiles. 

Work with us to sew a better story.

EcoEquitable's award-winning Sewing For Jobs Program has been equipping women with professional sewing skills for over 20 years. Our new pilot program, the Job Referral Program, seeks to provide local sewing opportunities to women who have graduated from our Sewing for Jobs program. Read more below about why this is important in the Ottawa community and for more information on how to get the process started!

As the average global garment worker is paid only 55% of what the standard living wage should be, ensuring that our students are empowered to negotiate fair prices for their work, skills, and creations is one of our top priorities. This pilot program not only provides paid sewing opportunities for our graduates, thus creating a path towards employment and financial independence after graduation, but it also allows them to build a network and independently manage projects that bring fulfillment. 

Some examples of the work students have completed are:

  • Tote bags for Lainey's Luck
  • 50+ cellphone Sleeping Bags for Wild Awakenings, an Ottawa-based women's retreat service.
  • 126 bedsheets for the Andrew Fleck Children's Society
  • 25 tote bags for ELTOC
  • Various alterations for community members including pants hemming, dress resizing
  • Sewing an upcycled, custom quilted blanket out of t-shirts

Request a Project Today! 

If you have any questions, please email us at program@ecoequitable.ca

Project Gallery

Lainey's Luck Tote Bags, by Almaz

"We just love the tote bags Almaz sewed for us at Lainey’s Luck! We wanted to have reuseable bags available for our customers but didn’t want to create more waste by buying new ones. We knew of EcoEquitable and their programs and so we enquired about buying some of their fabric and hiring a graduate to sew us some totes. We were partnered with lovely Almaz who did a beautiful job, and so quickly! They are impeccably sewn. Thank you Almaz and EcoEquitable!" -Sam and Jamil at Lainey’s Luck

 

A picture of five cellphone sleeping bags sewn by our students and graduates. One of the bags has a phone poking out of it.

Cell Phone Sleeping Bags for Wild Awakenings, by Lorayne, Fatima, and Angelle

"I chose to work with EcoEquitable because it is an organization and aligns so closely with my values but the experience ended up being so much more than that. Camp WILD is a summer camp style women's retreat focused on community and fun and part of the experience is to disconnect and tuck your phone away in a cell phone sleeping bag. It was a lot of fun to work with a group of women who were creating their first business order post graduation. Together they worked through all the steps to turn this dream into a reality. They designed the bags themselves and were excited to tell me that they learned some new sewing skills in the process! My favourite part was that by using fabric scraps every sleeping bag was unique and made with love intention by the eco equitable team. It was an honour to share these with the women of Camp WILD. Thank you Eco Equitable!" -Jenn, Wild Awakenings 

 

126 Bed Sheets for Andrew Fleck Children's Services, by the Winter 2023 Advanced Class Students

"I contacted EcoEquitable with a possible partnership to make cot sheets for my childcare program. After some good conversations, I agreed to bring in one sheet for them to look at.  Once they were viewed and an estimate was made for how many I would require, the Eco team figured out how much each would cost. I also reached out to other Program Coordinators within AFCS Agency to inquire if they too were interested in this partnership. In the end, two other sites also requested bed sheets to be made for them and 126 were made in total. We strongly believe in supporting local organizations and also to help people explore new career opportunities.  The sheets completed met all our requirements and have been well used since then. We look forward to possible other ventures in the future." -Lynne, Andrew Fleck Children's Services

 

Tote Bags for ELTOC, by Almaz

"English Language Tutoring for the Ottawa Community (ELTOC) chose EcoEquitable to honor our volunteers for this year’s Volunteer Appreciation. We requested tote bags with the ELTOC logo. From beginning to end of the project, EcoEquitable staff provided excellent service and seamless communication (no pun intended ☺). ELTOC and EcoEquitable have a long-standing partnership. ELTOC was delighted to support their graduates. Our volunteers were pleased with their ELTOC bags, locally made with upcycled material. We highly recommend others to tap into EcoEquitable graduates – it’s well worth it and affordable. Thank you Almaz for making our tote bags!" -Lucie

 

A picture of a quilt made from upcycled shirts by one of our Sewing for Jobs graduates.

Upcycled T-Shirt Quilt for a private client, by Sara

"I commissioned a quilt from EcoEquitable and asked them if they could use t-shirts that I have kept over the years from various activities that my son did growing up. I was connected with one of their recent Sewing For Jobs graduates, Sara, who was the perfect match and a pleasure to work with. Sara was able to artfully configure every t-shirt logo, leaving little waste, and both my son and I are very happy with the finished product! I would recommend EcoEquitable to anyone looking to commission a sewing project that supports local women and sustainability." -Dan

Seat Covers for Lady Dive Tours, by Tamam

"Throughout the entire process, we knew we had made the right choice working with EcoEquitable. They made the process worry-free and delivered an absolutely exceptional quality of work. We couldn't help but be drawn to EcoEquitable's advocacy for fair and living wages, not to mention their unwavering commitment to promoting job and gender equity, particularly for women and newcomers facing barriers to employment. We are honored to have been part of a project that not only resulted in beautifully crafted seat covers but also contributed to this powerful mission of inclusion, empowerment, and equity. Thank you, EcoEquitable, for the meaningful impact you’re making in our community and for letting us be part of your mission!" - Emily & Anastasiia