Young people seeking the skills to enter the workforce will now have greater opportunity following the launch of the YouthGrounds social enterprise cafe in Kurunjang.
Provided by Youth Connect with support from Melton Council, YouthGrounds Cafe will be a non-for-profit business that provides a space for young people to develop and get hands on experience while upskilling for future employment – all while supplying the community with great coffee.
Future Connect’s Dr Alice Ames said the YouthGrounds Cafe came from codesign work with young people, employers, industry representatives and local and state government.
“We identified a lack of opportunities for work experience, and that there was a need for excellent coffee in the area,” she said.
“We hope YouthGrounds café will become a self-sustaining social enterprise to fund the training program for young people and continue creating more opportunities for young people in the west.”
The cafe is located at the Kurunjang Community Hub, and also hopes to expand into a catering business.
The YouthGrounds Cafe had its official launch on Thursday, March 21, which Dr Ames said was a great success.
“We had an incredible show of community support at the launch on Thursday. Approximately 50 people came to the launch from the local community – representing local high schools, local and state governments, and community service organisations,” she said.
“People attending the launch were welcomed with free coffee and snacks from the café and took the opportunity to connect with each other. Piper Rodd, Chair of the Future Connect Board, gave an Acknowledgement of Country, welcoming everyone to the launch and Deirdre Hardy, CEO of Future Connect, spoke about the history and evolution of YouthGrounds.
“Students doing work experience in the café served food to the crowd.”
