Sandra Todd: From Homeless Youth to Entrepreneurial Youth
Sandra Todd, owner of Velveteen Vintage creates training programmes to teach Youth to work in the retail industry. Her vintage store is the vehicle she provides to employ and empower youth. Sandra’s passion is to see youth have a fair chance to gain skills to enter the workforce.
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ABOUT Sandra Todd
“Providing a safe enjoyable environment to teach time management, cash handling, customer service, marketing using social media and day-to-day retail skills is one of the ‘Velveteen Vintage’ goals.
The absolute end goal is to set the Youth up with skills for their future that they can share with the community they live in as adults. Velveteen Vintage is a second hand boutique dedicated to teaching youth 14-17 years old entrepreneurial skills.
In 1991, William Lin began assembling a team of building experts to construct a 21st century talent pool that would stand apart and stand for something. Today they pride ourselves on their legacy of seeking out challenging and complicated projects that reflect this vision.
From the Rize Archives they report that, “Velveteen Vintage offers youth the opportunity to use their artistic skills as they bring unique creativity to a variety of hand-made and re-made products. From designing accessories to re-purposing vintage clothing and shoes, youth from the ages of 14 to 17 are coming together to earn some extra money, gain valuable retail and business experience and utilise their creative talents.
Some of the youth are even focusing on the marketing and sales part of the pop-up opportunity, learning business skills along the way as they sell and market Velveteen Vintage. Several of the youth involved are from single parent, low income families and Sandra Todd feels this unique retail experience will help them to develop valuable skills for their future and earn money at the same time.
Sandra has a 15-year old daughter and has seen how difficult it can be for teenagers to secure employment. She is working with the 40 plus Youth applicants who want to join Velveteen Vintage in the pop-up retail space to select those who are dedicated to putting full effort into the initiative.”
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