Skill seekers giving it a shot

FROM last Thursday the new cafe at Cooroy Library has been busy serving up work experience skills, along with great coffee.
Run by United Synergies as part of the Coffee United program, the new cafe supports young people to help address barriers to employment and gain valuable work experience.
The Coffee United brand of social enterprise cafes was developed by United Synergies in response to young people who face barriers such as leaving school early, homelessness and mental health issues when it comes to finding employment.
The first cafe was established in Maroochydore in 2013 at United Synergies’ headspace Maroochydore site and the Cooroy Library cafe is the second site for United Synergies, and was made possible after United Synergies was successful with an application to Noosa Council following their call for a ‘social procurement tender’ at the Cooroy Library cafe site.
Noosa Council CEO Brett de Chastel said the council was proud to support such a fantastic initiative.
“Providing our young people with training and support when they really need it is very important for the well-being of the whole Noosa Shire community,” he said.
United Synergies CEO Christopher John said the organisation was delighted to work with a range of people.
“United Synergies works with a range of vulnerable people in our community to enable them to reach their full potential,” he said.
“We are delighted to be able to support disengaged local young people to gain employment with the expansion of Coffee United to Cooroy Library.”
The cafe is a social enterprise, which means profits go back into providing a social return.
For Coffee United, the return is in supporting young people to address personal barriers which might otherwise provide an obstacle to employment, while giving them the skills to transition into paid work with an alternative employer.
“Since Coffee United started in Maroochydore in 2013, 40 young people have transitioned through our cafe and gained employment or barista training,” Christopher said.
“This success is largely due to local business owners seeing the value in employing a ‘graduate’ of Coffee United – for the social impact as well as the valuable skill set our young people acquire while they are with us.”
Montville Coffee has been a partner of Coffee United since 2013 and is a strong advocates of the social impact the service makes.
Montville Coffee co-founder Karen Barnett said one of Montville Coffee’s goals is to contribute to the development of a more “just society”.
“Through our involvement in the Coffee United social enterprise project we are learning about the reality facing many youth on the Sunshine Coast,” she said.
“As a coffee business, working with Coffee United is a practical way to help remove the barriers to education and employment that many youth on the Sunshine Coast are facing.”
Business owners who are interested in supporting the graduates of Coffee United can contact United Synergies enterprise and community development co-ordinator Pete Ferguson on 5442 4277.
The cafe is open 9am until 1pm weekdays and serves local Montville Coffee as well as a range of homemade treats.
For more information about Coffee United and the work of United Synergies go to www.unitedsynergies.com.au