Teens Learn the Lost Arts

Teens learn the lost arts of sewing and ironing

In a sunny room Fullerton, CA something magical is happening: this summer a group of high school girls is learning some new skills, from real grandma’s.

Every Tuesday and Thursday in July the Golden Connections Club, a student lead group gathers for a one-of-a-kind intergenerational summer camp. The concept is simple: seniors teach kids practical skills that once filled every household: sewing, ironing, cooking, embroidery and more.

For Leena Albinali, the club’s founder, this isn’t just a summer activity. It’s a mission to bridge the gap between generations, while giving her peers a chance to connect with elders in a meaningful hands-on way.

There’s so much wisdom that lives in our older generation she says, we want to learn from them, not just about skills but about life.

The program was sparked by the community center’s mission to help seniors stay active and by Leena’s own experience growing up close to her grandmother.

When she realized many teens had never learned how to sew on a button or iron a shirt, she saw an opportunity: what if seniors could teach them? And so, she recruited some peers to join the new group.

 Every week involves both a craft and cooking session.  There is laughter and the occasional crooked seam, but it’s not about perfection. It’s about connection, where generations meet in the simple joy of creating something with their hands.

The camp is part of an ongoing effort to reduce senior loneliness, with a strong focus on those from underserved and immigrant populations.  And now they’re also empowering youth. 

By bringing the two groups together they’re not just passing down traditions, they’re creating new ones.