Elizabeth Jarvis

Name: Elizabeth Jarvis
Exam taken: Arts Award Silver
Category nominated under: Overcoming challenges- qualification success despite difficult circumstances or barriers to access
Nominated by: Susannah Jarvis, Parent

My daughter, Elizabeth Jarvis completed her Silver Arts Award in July of last year despite the many challenges she faced. At 14, she was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder which led her to lose dexterity, sensation and strength in her arms and hands. Not only did this lead to physical challenges, it meant she had to deal with many other life changes.

Starting carpentry at 13, she had to take 6 months off and then slowly use it as a rehabilitation whilst adjusting to home education at the beginning of Year 10. She worked her way through the qualifications up to Silver and decided to take it as far as she could. She made links with organisations such as QEST (the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) and Heritage Crafts through a series of interviews linked to the Bovey Tracey Craft Festival and is now a member of both of their Youth Boards whilst being a regular volunteer for both organisations.

She created an opportunity for her Unit 2 to design, create, and organise a wooden box to give to singer MIKA, filled with letters from fans. From there, she used the knowledge gained from her box making journey to bring together 62 Year 3 students at Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School in Towcester to teach the students about box joinery using her experience. In an effort to continue connecting the next generation through craft, she furthered her work with the primary school and created 62 pyrography pieces to give to the students themed around their designs. She explored her emotions of leaving school and the difficulties she faced with her hands through a series of 3 main projects.

Whilst working through all of this, she faced multiple personal challenges and yet she remained resilient and positive and completed her qualification to a high standard, often using it for stability during her difficult moments. She has now gone onto her Gold Arts Award and is currently seeing how she can bring schools in Devon and Somerset and organisations together through a series of interviews in order to create a guide for craft in schools, in order to sustain the next generation of makers for Unit 1 Part D.  She’s also worked alongside the British Dyslexia Association to create a children's Tudor Dollshouse for her main project and has many other plans for the rest of her award.

As a family, we are all very proud of her and feel she deserves some recognition for all her determination, hard work and achievements.