When the provincial shutdown began in mid-March—before wearing masks was widely recommended—former Camosun Business Administration student and Camosun College Student Society Interurban director Ellen Young began sewing masks as an avenue to empowerment in turbulent times.
“When this whole thing started, I was feeling very down about it all,” she says. “It was scary and uncertain, and everyone was feeling not the best—worried about their families, but not being able to do anything about it—so this was my way of empowering myself.”
Young uses quilting cotton for the masks, then—due to shortages in elastic materials—bits of T-shirts for an ear loop. She uses wire in the masks so that the user can mold the mask to their face (this helps those with glasses reduce the amount of fog that gathers on their glasses). Young has sold by donation or given away about 170 masks.
“It’s a pay-what-you-can—or if-you-can—model, and I’m happy to give them out for free,” she says. “The thing with price, it’s a little tricky. There’s the time and materials that I put into it, which cost money, and it’s a lot of work on my part. However, I also want to make these masks accessible, so it’s a balancing act.”
If she approached it from a profit point of view, Young says each mask would sell for $15 to $25, but “that’s not very accessible for many people.”
“It’s tough,” she says. “It’s not unreasonable to pay that much if you want to support the artist that’s making these.”
Another complication is larger companies making masks, which Young says makes mask-making tough for locals.
“They can mass-produce it and sell it for a lot less,” she says. “I’m very opinionated on that. For me, I’m doing it by donation.”
Young—who can also do bulk orders of 20 and over for businesses—wants people to understand the point of masks. They are an additional step in the protection of others, she says (the first major steps are physical distancing and hand washing). Young says she thinks it would help tremendously if everyone in the community wore a mask, but it’s also really important to remember that masks are not recommended for everyone: children under two and people with breathing difficulties, for instance, are advised to not wear them.
“I would much rather people be safe and not have the mask do more harm than good, just as long as the frequent hand washing and social distancing is still in place,” she says, adding that if people are able to wear one, “definitely go for it.”
“When I see people wearing masks or asking to buy masks, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s awesome that you want to help protect the community.’ But at the same time, I also understand that that might not be very practical for other people,” she says. “Wherever you stand—whether you wear a mask or not—it’s always important to be understanding of other people who may choose the opposite of what you’re choosing.”
If you would like order a mask, contact Young at ellen@ellenyoung.ca.