09/16/2026
Do you love crafting and community work? Join us as the Project Lead for an exciting youth-driven sensory quilt project tied to the 2027 Calgary Quilt Festival.
See all the details at www.calgaryquiltfestival.ca/volunteers
About the Project: We are engaging young people aged 5 to 17 to design and craft colorful "fidget quilts." These tactile lap blankets provide comfort and calm for individuals with dementia, Alzheimer’s, autism, or anxiety.
The completed quilts will be displayed at the Calgary Quilt Festival on May 28–29, 2027. After the Festival they will be donated to local Calgary care facilities and support groups.
What You Will Do:
Engage Community Groups: Actively reach out to local youth organizations to get kids and teens involved in crafting fidget quilts. We are thinking about groups like Guides, Scouts, 4H, Big Brothers and Sisters, sewing clubs or classes, etc. Homeschool students and intergenerational family teams are welcome too. In all cases, the bulk of the design and crafting work should be up to the youth!
Deliver Presentations: Briefly share the project’s mission with these groups to excite and inspire young makers. Help us develop a toolkit of samples and resources. Encourage youth attendance at the Calgary Quilt Festival.
Coordinate Participants: Assist with documentation and registration, and support young crafters (ages 5–17) as they create their quilts. We would like to open registration for this challenge in January 2027, closing at the end of April 2027
Build Partnerships: Connect with local care facilities and groups for the final quilt donations.
Festival Support: Help with take in of the fidget quilts at the show on set up day, May 27, 2027, and assist with creating the display at the festival exhibition.
