The clever cafe serving up training and jobs to at-risk youth
Serving as both a relaxed place for young people to socialise and as a training ground and place of employment for at-risk youth seeking a career in hospitality, Project Youth’s Cafe Y in Menai has proven to be a considerable success since its inception in 2014.
Not-for-profit organisation Project Youth, which provides support, programs and accommodation services to at-risk young people and their families across the Sutherland Shire and St George regions, established Cafe Y upon recognising the difficulty many of the young people they’d worked with had in obtaining employment. “The cafe provides a training space for young people to learn the soft skills required to work in the open labour market and has been a stepping stone for many into other employment, while being supported to manage the complex issues that impact their lives,” says Louise Farroway, Project Youth’s Early Engagement Manager.
Through a partnership with TAFE, Cafe Y has been able to provide invaluable training for local youth. “We have supported 146 young people to obtain a Certificate II in Hospitality and provided 10 young people with traineeships in Certificate III Hospitality through paid employment,” says Louise. “More than anything, we’ve tried to build a sense of community – bringing people together and sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences that help each of us respect and value the contribution of the people around us.”
Louise says support from the IMB Bank Community Foundation has been pivotal to Cafe Y’s success. “The ICF funding allowed the café to be furnished and set up,” she says. “The funds supported the purchase of our coffee machine, and obviously without that there wouldn’t be a cafe! The funds were also used to decorate the space and give us our unique vibe.”
Besides equipping at-risk youth with skills to enter the workforce, Louise cites receiving the 2017 Menai District Business Awards gong for best Cafe & Takeaway as a particularly proud moment for the Cafe Y team. “A true highlight of our time running the cafe,” says Louise, “and a testament to everyone’s hard work and commitment.”
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Helping build and strengthen our local communities since 1999 As a mutual bank, supporting our local communities is important to us. We believe in supporting projects that foster inclusion, encourage volunteering and create sustainable outcomes, enabling the communities around us to thrive. Over the last 20 years, The IMB Bank Community Foundation has invested over $10 million to support over 700 community projects. We’re very proud of the projects we’ve supported and each year we marvel at the wonderful achievements of our funding recipients. These diverse and meaningful grassroots programs are found wherever IMB Bank operates — Sydney, The Hunter, The Illawarra, Southern Highlands and Far South Coast NSW. |
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