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Should I book: Ish
10 Feb 2023
10 Feb 2023
Located in idyllic Takapuna, Flourish Café has recently opened its doors and is helping young people with disabilities get into the job market.
As New Zealand’s first youth training cafe, Flourish Café provides job opportunities to many young, neuro-diverse people. Led by Project Employ, an organisation that equips people with learning differences with the skills needed in the workforce, to ease away the anxiety that people may have upon leaving school. Flourish Café is a prime example of this, providing learning positions from front-of-house staff to kitchen hands, giving people a grasp on the inside workings of a business.
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Image credit Flourish Cafe
Project Employ’s co-founder Sarah Dann-Hoare recognises the gap that is currently present between leaving school and joining the workforce for young adults who may have intellectual disabilities. Dann-Hoare is constantly trying to bridge this gap.
“Our mission at Project Employ is to provide a genuine gateway to employment and independence by creating life-changing opportunities. Flourish Café does exactly that, by giving our trainees a unique, authentic work environment in which every situation is recognised as a valuable learning opportunity, preparing these young people for the workforce,” she says.
Flourish Café provides the perfect environment for you to have a morning coffee and brunch as well as delicious coffee, while simultaneously knowing that you are contributing to a worthy cause. Once the young adults have completed the training, a smooth transition into paid roles led by PolyEmp and Autism NZ, leads to a viable future. Flourish Café is currently funded by other organisations, including Lindsay Foundation, Lottery Grants Board and IHC Foundation. The aim is for Flourish Café to eventually self-fund.
Image credit Flourish Café
“I’ve met the first cohort of trainees and left the meeting in tears. Tears of joy for these beautiful human beings who finally feel like they have a place in the world. A place they are seen, heard and understood. A place where they are able to connect, contribute and find a sense of purpose. The very essence of what we all need as human beings to feel like our lives matter.” Sarah adds.
Grab your family and friends and head to Flourish Cafe, so that you can do good and eat well at the same time.
Flourish Café is open Monday to Friday 7am to 3.30pm at 19 Como Street Takapuna.
