Community Connection Café

This project will help secondary school students with a disability who are leaving school . Through a new social enterprise, we will help connect students to ongoing, long-term employment in their chosen field. This might include activities such as pre-accredited and accredited training and work experience. We will also help in linking these students with potential employment, as well as providing opportunities for engaging with diverse groups. We will aim to create pathways for participants to build skills in hospitality (barista, Café operations), customer service, sculpture, painting and car detailing, whilst building extra skills in micro businesses and social enterprise.

Currently there are limited educational and workforce pathways throughout our region for CALD women along with limited options for young people with a disability exiting secondary school.

Benefits to the community include;
• Increased aspirations of participants
• Sense of belonging
• Active social networks
• Breaking down barriers amongst community
• Community inclusion and self worth
• Reduced youth suicides
• Less supported employment and more opportunities in open employment.
• Less welfare dependencies
• Greater connection to community
• Social enterprise that builds a model for potential further development of empty spaces in rural and remote areas.