The Sonora School of Sewing and Apparel Construction, centrally located in the heart of downtown Sonora, offers education and training to residents within the surrounding area comprised of Tuolumne, Calaveras and Mariposa counties.
With limited access to fashion design and sewing instruction in rural communities, the Sonora School of Sewing provides unique and essential education services to those seeking vocational craftsmanship skills, trade development, and academic enrichment in the fields of fashion design and manufacturing. The school also offers educational credits, skills growth, and entrepreneurship connections, for charter school students and home schooled youth.
The school’s outreach program, “Sew 4 Success” is a tangible extension of our fundamental commitment to supporting access to education & the arts to individuals, community clubs, and private non-profit youth community organizations. In this curriculum, 50 local elementary school aged youth from the Senior Youth Partnership PM Club summer program are welcomed to the school to build connections with their peers along with a foundation of sewing skills.
“Sew 4 Success” primarily supports disadvantaged youth in our community. The Sonora School of Sewing provides scholarship opportunities to at-risk youth interested in pursuing a career in the fashion design and manufacturing industries. Scholarship funds are raised through private and trust donors, fundraising efforts, and awards granted to the Senior Youth Partnership organization.
In 2015, the Senior Youth Partnership was awarded a $10,000 grant in recognition of its resolute tradition of commitment to youth development via services and programs in Tuolumne County. The Senior Youth Partnership Boards of Directors approved that the funds be allocated to the development of the Sonora School of Sewing and Apparel Construction to directly benefit and support Tuolumne County youth attending the school.
The Sonora School of Sewing is dedicated to ensuring that the youth of Tuolumne County have inclusive opportunities to participate in career technical education, as defined as Family and Consumer Sciences Education programs by the California Department of Education. The school assists teens with portfolio development, internship placement, and preparation for employment opportunities.
Since opening to the public in 2011, the Sonora School of Sewing has grown exponentially each year, based on our core philosophies of community-building and inclusivity. Student population growth, a returning student culture, marketing expansion, and expert-level instruction are contributing factors towards the continued growth of the school. The school continues to build partnerships with local area charter schools, as well as maintaining a strong adult student presence. The school fields requests for design consultancy and prototype manufacturing services, both of which strengthen the growth of our manufacturing department.
Future goals of the school include the expansion of manufacturing services, in example, the development of a textile product line offering training, leadership and employment to community members interested in experience in the field. Training funding will be supported by funds received from the Sonora Area Foundation and matching grants.
Sonora School of Sewing & Apparel Construction endeavors to become an accredited institution, committed to providing students with an exceptional education in craftsmanship and technique in order to ultimately equip the next generation of fine tailors, garment manufacturers, and fashion designers with the skills necessary to succeed in carrying on the traditions associated with the highest level of quality industry standards in these fields.