FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR
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CONTENTS Roadmap 2 Charity Director 4 Board Director 5 Programme Lead 6 Customer Feedback 8 BDO Staff Feedback 9 Graduate Stories 10 Employing a Project Employ Graduate 12 Project Employ Graduate Parent Feedback 13 Current Trainees 14 Volunteer Feedback 18 Community Impact 20 Partnerships 22 Funders and Supporters 24
2 PROJECT EMPLOY
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 3 10 JUNE 2022 Get the keys to the café. 12 JUNE 2022 Working Bee to prepare café for opening. 15 JUNE 2022 First intake of Project Employ trainees attend Orientation Day. 11 JULY 2022 Flourish Café soft launch opening. Trainees proudly put on their Flourish Café aprons for the first time. 2 SEPTEMBER 2022 Official opening of Flourish Café. SEPTEMBER 2022 We welcome Gateway students from Takapuna Grammar School and Westlake Boys. 13 DECEMBER 2022 Graduation for the first cohort of Project Employ trainees. 2 DECEMBER 2022 Invited to provide coffee at Air New Zealand Enable Christmas Market. 10 JANUARY 2023 Awarded the Communication and Access Award from NZSTA and Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People. 16 JANUARY 2023 Second intake of Project Employ trainees. FEBRUARY 2023 Project Employ Graduate Billy is employed at Chemist Warehouse as a retail assistant. 3 MARCH 2023 Invited to provide coffee at NFDHH Listen Up Conference. MARCH 2023 Project Employ Graduate Quinn is employed at Gulf Rise Retirement Village as a café assistant. APRIL 2023 Project Employ Graduate Emily is employed by Flourish Café as a food prep assistant. MAY 2023 Project Employ Graduate Ariel is employed by Compass Group, based at Whenuapai Air Base as a kitchen hand. 27 JUNE 2023 Awarded Arthur Coombes Memorial Cup by Rotary Takapuna. 6 JULY 2023 Graduation for the second cohort of Project Employ trainees. JULY 2023 Gateway students welcomed from five North Shore schools. 17 JULY 2023 Third intake of Project Employ trainees. OUR JOURNEY SO FAR...
4 PROJECT EMPLOY CHARITY DIRECTOR Picture this: nestled within the bustling heart of Takapuna, a cosy haven awaits. Flourish Café, our training café, is not just a place where delectable aromas dance through the air and tantalize your taste buds. It’s a beacon of opportunity for young adults with learning differences and intellectual disabilities, empowering them to spread their wings and soar into the world of work. Flourish Café is a sanctuary of authentic work experience, carefully designed to nurture and uplift our trainees. In this remarkable space, judgment is replaced with understanding, and obstacles are transformed into stepping stones. Each day, our trainees gain confidence as they conquer new challenges and acquire essential employability skills that will shape their professional lives. Many neurodiverse young adults leave school without having had any previous work experience which greatly reduces their chances of getting a job. Project Employ is a charity that aims to bridge this gap from school to paid employment, which is why on July 11th, 2022, we opened the doors to Flourish Café; the first training café in New Zealand established specifically to support 18-28 year olds, with intellectual or learning differences to develop the skills and confidence to gain meaningful, community-based employment. Although there are many successful examples of training cafés overseas, it took courage for donors and funding organisations to take the leap of faith and put their trust in the Project Employ team, and we cannot thank them enough for their belief in us. We knew that Flourish Café and the individualised training programme delivered by our job coaches would be successful, and was definitely needed, but we couldn’t have predicted the growth seen in every one of the trainees, both personally and professionally, during the past year. We have also been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement received from Flourish Café customers, and we thank every single one of them for their loyalty and patience, and for the genuine interest they take in the trainees. Customers that had little or no previous contact with neurodivergent people tell us that the training café has helped change any misconceptions they may have had. By getting to know the trainees in this natural café setting, they very quickly see them as the motivated, able young adults that they are as opposed to focusing on their disability. Regular customers are amazed at the trainees’ growth in self-confidence over the course of the six months’ programme, and say they are proud to play a part in their journey to employment. As Flourish Café celebrates its first year, I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the Project Employ Board for the time, expertise and passion that they continue to give. Thank you to our ambassadors, and the many individuals and local businesses who support the charity and training café by providing their time and resources for free or at a very generously reduced price. Finally, a big thank you to the Project Employ and Flourish Café staff and volunteers who go above and beyond to ensure the trainees feel supported, respected and able to graduate from the programme feeling confident and work-ready. Sarah Dann-Hoare Founder and Director, Project Employ
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 5 BOARD CHAIR I feel very privileged to have joined Project Employ as its Chair and to continue the work that Marilyn began as its inaugural Chair. In the past year, we have made enormous progress, navigated numerous challenges, celebrated milestones and learned a lot. While the idea and essence of Project Employ has been a dream for Sarah as its founder for some time, the last year has certainly been a challenging one in which to bring it to life. Project Employ’s vision is to create a community where young people with intellectual or learning disabilities are engaged in meaningful, paid employment in the same way as any other member of society. Opening Flourish Café as a training facility at the end of a pandemic and with a looming economic downturn has not been for the fainthearted. Where it stands today has been made possible by an impressive team of wonderful people who, together, have begun to build the community that sits at the heart of Project Employ’s vision. I have been tremendously impressed and humbled by the support shown to Sarah, her team and the trainees by enthusiastic volunteers, many local businesses and the wider local community. These are people with a positive perspective who are able to find opportunities where perhaps others see only adversity. Your encouragement and endorsement of the business has sustained it during difficult days and buoyed the whole team during its successes. Thank you all. Of course, all of this comes at a financial cost and I am deeply grateful for the generosity of a wide range of organisations and individuals who have provided grants, donations and gifts to enable the Flourish to become so successful. As we move towards our third cohort of trainees, it has been a delight to watch these young people grow in confidence and develop the skills for future work opportunities. Many have found roles following graduation and this reinforces our belief in Project Employ’s vision. It has also been fantastic to see the community welcome and support the trainees on this journey. Finally, I would like to thank the staff of Project Employ who work so hard every day and I acknowledge my colleagues on the Board for the time, effort and genuine interest that they each bring to the Board table. Thank you again, to those who have supported and contributed to this first year and continue to do so – it really does make all the difference. Tony Dench Board Chair, Project Employ
6 PROJECT EMPLOY PROGRAMME LEAD The best part of my day is when a trainee comes up to me and, beaming with pride, explains that they just delivered a perfect coffee to a customer without spilling it and with a smile on their face. Being a part of these moments of joy, learning, and development for our trainees is incredible to witness and I am proud every moment of every day that I get to be part of the journey our trainees are on. All the skills they learn while at flourish are learnt on the job – and these are life changing. Our training programme is based on the training module developed by the Auckland University School of Psychology. Over the last year of working with this training module we’ve been able to develop and adapted it to specifically work within the Flourish Café environment and with our individual trainees. The key to this programme working is the ability to adapt the modules for the individual trainees that come through Flourish Café, and therefore individualized the way in which a specific task is assessed then taught. A significant factor that enables the training programme to be a success is the time and care that the job coaches put into getting to know the trainees individually, which enables the training modules to be specific and individually target their needs. With the ability to adapt the modules to specific individual needs we can teach a skill step by step as required and in a way that works best for that trainee. Alongside the training modules we use goal setting to determine what the trainees are all aiming for. Fundamental in supporting the trainees is the knowledge of their strengths, weaknesses and specifically what they want to get out of being a trainee. Throughout the entire 6 months training programme we are continually identifying what skills the trainee think they have mastered; what skills they think they need to continue developing and skills they need to start working on. We keep in mind what job they would like to do in the future and match what they are learning to that job the best we can. Embedded in the training programme are the ‘employability skills’ that we continually talk about and identify during their shifts. We help the trainees learn to independently identify these skills and use them effectively while at work, but also within their personal life. These skills are reliability, teamwork, social/ communication, self-confidence, willingness to learn, positive attitude, thinking skills, selfmanagement, and resilience. After 6 months of the training programme, the trainees leave Flourish Café with a huge shift within their self-confidence and independence. They now believe they are able to get paid employment in their community, and our 100% employment success rate is testament to the capabilities of these trainees. They walk out with transferable work skills that can be adapted to any job. Most of all they all leave with a reference and a certificate to add to their CVs for future employers, and their employers will know how best to support them in their new role. Most of the young adults who come through the training programme have not had any experience to add, or even start a CV so this is a massive accomplishment they have achieved. I’m proud and honoured to be part of the Flourish Café journey, and I am incredibly excited to continue on this ground breaking pathway alongside our trainees. Hannah Sykes Programme lead
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 7
8 PROJECT EMPLOY CUSTOMER FEEDBACK “Good Morning, would you like a coffee?” – Very simple words for most but for some of the trainees at Flourish Café, the nervousness in saying this was palpable. Well, at least for the first couple of weeks. After that they’ve not only remembered your name but also your coffee order. Every morning one of the Flourish trainees walks around our 10th floor office taking orders from the 35-odd BDO staff. What started out as something quite nervous for both staff and trainees has turned into something I’d say is quite special. Our staff genuinely love seeing the progress these young people make over the 12 weeks they’re in the training programme. Not only have we had a staff member anonymously donate their BDO Christmas hamper to Flourish but, instead of gifts at their recent wedding, a staff member asked their guests donate to the café. Pretty touching stuff. On a personal level I’m privileged to play a small part in helping young adults feel part of a community, probably something most of us take for granted. Whether it’s delivering coffees, helping cook sausage rolls for our Monday morning tea, or just waving as we walk through the café, I’m sure each group of graduates leaves the training programme enriched and with a feeling that they can, at last, be active in society. The training programme run through the café undoubtedly helps the trainees become more confident and capable, but I’m sure it also helps us all become more accepting, understanding and better people.” Andrew Hill Customer/BDO Partner/Board Member “I have had the privilege of meeting the amazing staff at Flourish! I have also encountered many of the young people that have worked there. What a special project! Because I grab a coffee (and a bite to eat) at Flourish frequently, I have had the opportunity to watch the time and effort the staff put in with each other and their young people. There is a real sense of warmth and kindness one feels whenever you happen to be at the café. I have watched the trainees grow from strength to strength. The Flourish team should be so proud of the work they do. Alongside this, it is important to note that their food and coffee is fantastic. I am a big fan!” Rose Downer “What an amazing place Flourish Café is. I visit daily for a coffee and to see the opportunities that they are giving to young people with disabilities. The young adults working there are so positive, friendly and to see them grow in the job is outstanding. Well done to all those involved with Project Employ, the Flourish Café, and to the young adults with disabilities - you are amazing.” Murray Lockwood
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 9 BDO STAFF FEEDBACK Every day, our trainees do a ‘coffee run’ to the BDO staff in the building. This simple act of going upstairs is one of the highlights of trainee’s days, and so we asked some of the BDO employees to give us their perspective. “Billy was one of the Flourish trainees last year and we got to know him from the BDO ‘coffee run’ that they would do every morning. He graduated from Flourish and secured himself permanent employment. Recently I was at Chemist Warehouse in Browns Bay and when I went to pay, Billy was working at the counter. He was on his own and managing everything very well, with a little queue of customers. When I got to the front I explained that I was from BDO and remember him from Flourish. He was doing a really excellent job, very polite and very personable and friendly. It was obvious that these social skills had been enhanced from his time at Flourish, where the trainees are taught very good personal skills, but also very professional. I was so proud to see him there, he was doing a really great job and he deserves to do well.” “Well, I have never spent so much money on coffee as I have over the past year, but it’s been worth every cent! It’s been fantastic to see each trainees confidence grow during their time at Flourish and I am proud that BDO Takapuna and the staff (with their appetites and caffeine addictions) can help Flourish with being a work experience stepping stone. Occasionally there might be the odd hiccup (a toasted sandwich that’s gone pear-shaped perhaps…..) but hiccups are always forgivable! I get a buzz from the trainees knowing my name and greeting me personally, and as with the previous trainees, I’ll miss this current bunch when they depart for greater things, but also look forward to meeting the next crew.” “I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Flourish trainees each morning when they come up and take our coffee orders. Always puts a smile on my face. They are always bubbly and excited to see us. It has been awesome seeing their skills progress over their training programme and their confidence with the staff”
10 PROJECT EMPLOY GRADUATE STORIES Prior to the 6-month training programme at Flourish Café, Ariel was working in a cattery and had attended MSL training. She then heard about Flourish Café and what it could offer her. Ariel’s dream was to one day work in a team, where she could share jobs and interact with her colleagues throughout the day. Ultimately the goal was to work in a café and be independent getting to and from work. Throughout her time at Flourish Ariel has met many people and has walked away with some new friends. She has learnt how to speak up and be heard by colleagues and customers. Before becoming a trainee, Ariel was quiet and lacked confidence meeting new people. We worked with Ariel to identify goals that she could work on in the café, while also working toward her goal of getting paid employment in a café. Ariel wanted to learn to balance better to confidently carry food and coffee to customers. We worked on lots of strategies to overcome this and ended up being successful using either a trolley or a tray. Ariel left Flourish Café feeling proud of everything she has achieved and overcome while being a trainee. “Becoming a Project Employ trainee gives you the opportunity to become work ready and build confidence. It gives you the opportunity to give something new a go in a safe and supportive environment. Taking things slow, do one job at a time, and complete one job at a time.” Ariel Knight Trainee July – December 2022 Billy recommends becoming a Project Employ trainee at Flourish Café because it gives you the opportunity to try something new and gain new job skills. Billy left school at the end of 2020. He then completed level 1 & 2 life skills courses at MSL before starting his training as a Project Employ trainee. Throughout the 6-month training programme Billy gained many skills. He was able to work on and improve his time management skills and his thinking skills through strategies we worked on together with him. Every shift he would turn up with a smile on his face ready to work with his colleagues and chat with customers as they came into the café. Billy came to Flourish with three life goals which he had been working on already; to leave home, get his drivers license, and to become independent. Flourish Café has helped Billy to continue to reach these goals by supporting and encouraging small achievable steps. This was only possible as his confidence developed and he believed in himself to do these things. “Being a trainee at Flourish Café will help set you up for a successful future because of the experience you get. You will also make new friends who has similar if not the same interests and goals as you.” Billy Lupton Trainee July – December 2022
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 11 “I would recommend becoming a Project Employ trainee at Flourish Café because the job coaches and the volunteers help you to learn and develop general café skills in a supportive environment. I found learning how to do the dishes with a new style of dishwasher challenging, but strategies like visuals were made to support me when I needed something to refer to. I enjoyed serving the customers and greeting them as they ordered their coffees or lunch – I took my time so I didn’t make any mistakes and got everything the customer asked for. I liked to see the customers happy when they had good service.” Quinn Simpson Trainee July – December 2022 “Project Employ is good because it stands for people with disabilities, or different abilities (such as mine). It gives the opportunity to gain work experience in a safe and supporting environment. Being a trainee has helped me develop more confidence and social skills. At the beginning of my training, I was more task orientated than likely to interact with people. I wouldn’t go out of my way to greet people. Now, I have the confidence to talk to people (even strangers) with ease. When I left school, I didn’t think I was employable because of my disorder, as well as not fitting employability requirements. Recently, I started to work as a paid employee for Flourish Café. The welcoming environment of the café has a positive impact on everyone who works there. The job coaches are making a difference by teaching new trainees the skills they need to know. For me personally, they supported me to have more tolerance and be more social towards people. I still have to improve when it comes to stressful situations, but the job coaches have helped a lot with that. They have instructed me on how to serve customers even when the customers are particularly difficult to deal with. Personally, it has changed the chances of me being hired. I have autism spectrum disorder and I’ve heard stories about people with autism not being hired due to their disorder. But thanks to Project Employ, I am now a paid employee. I am employed by Project Employ as a Food Prep Assistant, and in the future I will also be working in the Air New Zealand Flourish Café kiosk in the city. If I work enough hours, I will be able to be off my Supported Living Benefit, and therefore I could possibly be more financially stable. I never saw myself being where I am now, and I am proud of myself. Emily Smith Trainee July – December 2022
12 PROJECT EMPLOY EMPLOYING A PROJECT EMPLOY GRADUATE I still remember the day I started working at Flourish Café. The environment was different to any I have been in before, as the café is designed to ultimately be run by the trainees and supported by the job coaches. I struggled initially to understand and identify the individual needs of the trainees, but it motivated me to get to know the trainees more and understand how to interact with them. Over time I got to know how to interact and engage with the trainees, which helped me to recognise the different strengths and weaknesses each trainee had, and how I might be able to support them more. There was one trainee that particularly caught my interest. She would make notes in her book about food at the café – what is selling well, what isn’t selling well, and some ideas on what we could add to the cabinet. She would leave me little notes around the kitchen with all her ideas on and feedback on the food. Though nervous and with low self-confidence to begin with, I saw someone who had a real interest in food, someone who had a keen eye for giving people what they wanted and then listening to the feedback they had. Emily graduated the training programme in December 2022, at which point Flourish Café offered her paid employment as a food preparation assistant. I started out teaching her how to make the sandwiches, and then worked towards teaching her to make the other cabinet items – quiche and frittatas. Emily is now independently making all the sandwiches for the food cabinet. She comes into the café in the morning and makes a list of what needs making then gets on with her job. She adds scones, quiche, and frittatas to her to do list when she sees they have all been sold. Emily takes pride in her work and completes the work to the highest standard. She has a keen interest in food safety and handling, and she understands what makes a safe, clean kitchen and how to best prepare food for customers. Emily is an asset to the team here at Flourish Café. I am so proud of her achievements and the growth I have seen in her since being employed at Flourish Café, such as her ability to now stand up for herself, get on with tasks independently, and manage herself with professionalism. Achinna Medis Flourish Café Manager
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 13 PROJECT EMPLOY GRADUATE PARENT FEEDBACK “I wanted to thank Project Employ and Flourish for giving Ariel such fabulous training not only in café work, but also in life skills. The training programme is very comprehensive, and having job coaches there every step of the way really helps to reinforce what is being taught. I have seen huge changes in Ariel’s confidence, in talking to people, being proactive and being ready for her next challenge - finding a job, her preference being in the hospitality industry.” Odette Knight Ariel’s mum “Project Employ/Flourish Café is a fantastic programme that will not only enhance the lives of the trainees who graduate but will also help our young people become a welcome part of the ‘mainstream’ working community. Quinn began his training with limited work experience, but he was eager to upskill and find paid employment. During his training Quinn gained confidence, learned how to work as part of a team, developed relationships with café regulars, and, significantly, had fun. He was keen to go to work each day and always came back with a positive story.” Karen Simpson Quinn’s mum “Billy has always needed support around time management and handling money. The real life employment setting of Flourish Café supported these skills to be fine-tuned with the respectful support of job coaches, Sarah, and her café team. Whilst it was never Billy’s dream or desire to work in hospitality, the café setting nurtured and encouraged his selfdetermination and confidence to consider his next step in life - paid employment.” Tamsin Jowsey and Aaron Lupton Billy’s parents “Emily has previously been enrolled in training courses but unfortunately there was insufficient support in place for her to complete the courses. Project Employ has provided the relevant support to enable Emily to successfully complete the 6 months training so that she is now ready to go to the next step of gaining employment. Emily now has the confidence to know that she can be successfully employed. The job coaches employed by Project Employ have been instrumental in providing the support needed in the form of guidance, encouragement, patience, role modelling, understanding, and friendship. The carefully selected staff working at Flourish Café have created the calm and supportive environment required for these trainees to thrive in.” Carol Day and Mark Smith Emily’s parents
14 PROJECT EMPLOY CURRENT TRAINEES Why did you become a trainee? I was interested in working in a café and Flourish popped up at the right time. What were you doing before Project Employ? I was still at school. How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you to become work ready? It helped me to learn to socialise and helped me to focus. What have you learnt to do at the café? I’ve learnt how to use money by using the till. I’ve learnt to walk with coffee and clean tables. What have you learnt about yourself being a trainee at Project Employ? It helped me to control my stress levels. I learnt to work with others as a team and get the bus. Holly Schurink Trainee January – July 2023 How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you to become work ready? Project Employ helped me to become work ready because of the job coaches supporting me at the start of my training and I am getting more confident doing my tasks. What have you learnt to do at the café? I have learnt to do the till, talk to customers, gain confidence, serve food and drinks, clean and tidy up the café. What have you leant about yourself being a trainee at Project Employ? I became more independent and gained more confidence talking to customers. I also gained new friends. Joshua Javier Trainee January – July 2023
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 15 Why did you become a trainee? I wanted to become a trainee because I want to get a job and working in a café is something I am interested in. What were you doing before Project Employ? I was modelling. How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you to become work ready? It has helped me start working toward my goals of being on time to places and my money and cash skills. What have you learnt about yourself being a trainee at Project Employ? I have learnt to speak loud to customers and learnt to be organised. Lily Mae Ivatt-Oakley Trainee January – July 2023 Why did you become a trainee? Because I tried applying for jobs on Seek for years and was unsuccessful with getting paid employment. What were you doing before Project Employ? I was volunteering at my local charity shop in Browns Bay 3 times a week. How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you become work ready? I have gained confidence in dealing with the public. I enjoy working closely as a team and I feel part of the working community. What have you learnt to do at the café? How to make coffees, use the till, serve customers, deliver food and coffee to the public and offices, work as part of a team and clean up working space and operate an industrial dishwasher. What have you learnt about yourself being a Project Employ trainee? I have gained more confidence and independence by getting myself to and from work safely and on time. I have learnt that I can contribute in a workplace and can follow tasks that are given to me. Phoebe Latimer Trainee January – July 2023
16 PROJECT EMPLOY Why did you become a trainee? To become more confident in a workplace and less nervous around new people. What were you doing before Project Employ? I was attending a day programme, New Dawn, three times a week. How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you become work ready? It has given me more independence in working in an environment with customers and other people as a team. What have you learnt to do at the café? Carefully serve the hot drinks and food to customers without spilling anything, I have learnt how to work as a team with my work colleagues as well. What have you learnt about yourself being a Project Employ trainee? That I actually have a really good memory when I comes to remembering the customers names and their orders, and I have learnt how to communicate with my colleagues when I need help with something. Erana Ryder-Maihi Trainee January – July 2023 Why did you become a trainee? To gain work experience. What were you doing before Project Employ? I was at school. How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you to become work ready? It has helped me build up my confidence and taught me a lot of skills for when I get a job. What have you learnt to do at the café? I have learnt how to use the till, how to make coffee, and how to act in front of customers. What have you learnt about yourself being a Project Employ trainee? I’ve learnt that I enjoy customer service and I am looking forward to getting a job involving it. Joshua McGuinness Trainee January – July 2023
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 17 Why did you become a trainee? To learn new skills and get some work experience and try something new. What were you doing before Project Employ? Just at home. How has being a Project Employ trainee helped you to become work ready? It has given me more money skills. What have you learnt to do at the café? Do the dishes, serve the food, and prepare the food, do the till. What have you learnt about yourself being a Project Employ trainee? How to make new friends, and work at a café, stay calm and be prepared for what is next. Damian West Trainee January – July 2023
18 PROJECT EMPLOY VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK All volunteers are part of the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. “Flourish Café has provided me with great insight towards what life with an intellectual or developmental disability is like. While I cannot help the trainees in every aspect of their life, I can help provide them with functional skills for future workplaces. This has filled me with a great sense of purpose and potential insight towards jobs within the behavioural analysis field. The work experience I have gained from Flourish Café is irreplaceable - I have both taught and been taught a lot. The trainees provide me with a sense of passion for my field of study as I am seeing the real life impacts that the research gets put towards. Working with the staff has been amazing - when I started I was very overwhelmed about what the job required from me but I have been supported and guided through so that I can step up and fill my role. I think any psychology students hoping to pursue behavioural analysis should pursue roles like these due to the critical insight we are provided with.” Marissa “By working with the trainees there is a sense of fulfilment, not just in helping but also in being friends with them – the relationships we’ve built not only as co-workers but also as friends. The experience I’ve garnered here, I feel, would be applied into everyday life as well as being a student; learning to be patient with certain tasks, actions and even people, trying to understand things from a viewpoint different from your own and appreciate a different approach. By being here and continuing, it further enhances my understanding of psychology as a field of study as well as the applications of it in realworld settings. But on a more human level, the experience enriches my life and gives me a more positive outlook for the future.” Jury “Working with trainees has broadened my understanding about intellectually disabled people and some of the challenges they face. It has given me a better understanding of how to communicate with different individuals and how to work around the challenges they face to help increase their skills. Watching the trainees has made me realise that I have a lot to learn from how perseverant they all are, and how they continually try their best at the café. I hope this opportunity to volunteer at the café will give me more experience working with a clinical population, and hopefully allow me a better understanding of the type of psychology-related work I want to do in the future. Working alongside the trainees has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. It is really amazing to see them grow and improve, and also great to feel like they like having me as a volunteer job coach. It is also very interesting to learn from the staff about how they manage a training café and help the trainees as they go.” Victoria
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20 PROJECT EMPLOY COMMUNITY IMPACT Wairau school “Wairau Valley Special School (WVSS) is an inclusive school supporting students with special educational needs. Educational programmes are specifically designed to cater to individual learning needs. The curriculum includes community experiences that aim to enrich students’ prospects for future independence and employment. Flourish Café provides a supportive and inclusive environment where WVSS students can practise valuable communications skills, and improve their social interactions in a real life setting. Regular visits to the café and the step-by-step process of placing an order enables the students to gain practical skills in communication, social interaction, handling money, problem-solving, managing anxiety in new settings, and building their self-confidence. Transition students at WVSS have had the pleasure of visiting Flourish Café, which has proven to be an excellent venue for our learners to come together with their peers and teaching team, to enjoy a cuppa in a welcoming atmosphere. Flourish Café staff and trainees are highly accommodating to Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) and offer our students valuable opportunities to practise ordering coffee and drinks while engaging in social conversations using their AAC devices. The learning for both WVSS students and the trainees at Flourish is invaluable. Thank you Flourish Café.” Angela Robinson Occupational Therapist Hannah Vautier Speech & Language Therapist Takapuna Grammar “Happy First Birthday Flourish Café! What a fabulous achievement and what a valuable resource you have become for our young people with disabilities. Flourish has provided many experiences for our Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) students. Our classes have enjoyed coming in as customers - using this opportunity to engage in a meaningful way with our community. Students can practice making decisions, communicate with others through ordering, use their money skills when paying as well as remembering to use appropriate social interactions. What is inspiring for our students is that they are served by young people just like them! We have also been blessed by the opportunity to be part of the team through their internship programme. This involves students learning the roles and responsibilities of a busy café and provides training for a future pathway to work. TGS has had one student through this programme already and we are looking forward to another joining Flourish next term. The support and training is provided in a safe and nurturing environment where our young people can gain confidence in their abilities and learn new skills. We wish you many more years!” Michele Brooke Head of Faculty, Special Education Takapuna Grammar School
FLOURISH CAFÉ’S FIRST YEAR 21 Wilson school “As a teacher of a great group of special needs students it is a pleasure to take them to Flourish Café every month. The students gain a lot of life skills and experiences on this trip through learning how to cope in a community environment, how to sit at a table as a group and converse with one another, and also how to interact with others in the community. It is great to see the students use their speaking and language skills to place their order. The staff and trainees are so patient and you can see they really enjoy interacting with the group. It is great to see some rapport developing where they remember the students from their previous visits. Having Flourish in our local community is great for our students and our whānau also. I know through our regular sharing of pictures at Flourish that some whānau have taken their children to the café as they feel it is a safe space for their child to be in the community with other like-minded people. We are grateful for our regular visits to Flourish and enjoy the atmosphere that is created in this great space.“ Michael Wynne Teacher, Wilson School School Work Experience Opportunities/ Gateway Programme Flourish Café provides work experience to schools on the North Shore of Auckland. We provide an opportunity once a week for students to come into the café to get a taster of what working in this type of environment might be like. This opportunity helps to bridge the gap between school and employment for these young adults as it shows them what they could possibly do when they leave school, showing them that there are opportunities after leaving school.
22 PROJECT EMPLOY PARTNERSHIPS University of Auckland “As an Intern Psychologist, I can use my knowledge of learning and behaviour to design and implement targeted learning strategies for our trainees to achieve meaningful goals, and learn new skills important for gaining independence and supporting community engagement. Such skills worked on with the current trainees include: • Determining individual learning styles. • Teamwork skills. • Learning the drinks menu. • Handling cash payments. As well as ensuring best practice, the data collected during targeted training informs progress and demonstrates the effectiveness of such training, with inbuilt measures to support transferring the skills that are developed to future employment opportunities and use within the community. Being able to gain experience using evidence-based strategies to support young adults with disabilities to gain independence in skills needed for future employment is an incredible opportunity, as such endeavours are currently rare in Aotearoa, New Zealand. While rare, the venture has made significant differences in the lives of the individuals who have engaged in the training programme and have supported research opportunities for masters and honours students such as myself to develop strategies that help current and future Project Employ trainees. Project Employ has been instrumental in supporting my studies in psychology since its opening and is currently supporting me as an Intern Psychologist at Flourish Café. This opportunity has allowed me to diversify my scope of competence within my psychological practice and will be hugely beneficial to myself, future clients I will see, and future Project Employ trainees.” Alexandrea Heels Intern Psychologist, University of Auckland PolyEmp Employment & Advisory Service “One of the most important attributes the young people who have been training at Flourish Café bring with them when they find employment is a belief in themselves. They have developed a confidence in their abilities and are comfortable to transfer their skills and learn new things. Having had real world work experience in the café, where they deal with the everyday drama of having a real job, dealing with customers, and learning all aspects of a frontline hospitality role encourages them to see that employment is an achievable goal for them. All employers seek potential employees that have had some good work experience. The employers that we have matched to the graduates have noticed for themselves how eager the young people are to work, that they quickly settle into what is required of them and easily adapt into a new work environment. This is generally quite challenging for those who have not had any work experience as they can be a bit lost and flounder often at the first hurdle.” Margaret Reilly Manager, PolyEmp
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24 PROJECT EMPLOY FUNDERS AND SUPPORTERS Without the support of these organisations, Flourish Café would not be as successful as we are. By providing funding and giving their time, these organisations directly support our trainees in becoming work-ready and gaining employment. We would also like to acknowledge the many individuals that have generously supported Flourish Café this year. Thank you!
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