A Nottingham business woman is doing her bit to fight the
recession by helping those struggling to find work by running
a community mobile cafe with a group of dedicated volunteers -
which has also helped a 23 year old Meadows man get his first
ever job thanks to European funding.
After finishing her MBA at Nottingham Trent University in 2009,
Joanna Prusaczyk, 34, originally from Poland, moved from Sherwood
to the Meadows and got a job as a team leader for an international
coffee chain.
Joanna recognised the high demand for baristas/ speciality
coffee makers in her workplace and a gap for gaining work
experience and training opportunities across the Meadows. So with
funding from the European Social Funding (ESF) and Skill Funding
Agency worth almost £5,500, administered by Enable, Joanna
bought a mobile catering van and set about recruiting participants
for Community, Opportunity, Resources and Expertise (CORE).
She also had support from Unltd, a business loan, and the
support of local people and organisations, including a donation
from Bingham Trailers,
Joanna said: "When I moved to the Meadows I saw many people
suffering from lack of confidence and self-esteem. Having a cafe as
the focus of the project allows us to fund our training
opportunities whilst at the same time providing a practical
location for gaining vital on the job experience in health and
safety, food preparation, customer service, budgeting and finance
and childcare, as well as mentoring individuals and signposting
them to other services."
Since CORE was established in July 2010 the eight participants
of the project have been serving the fresh local produce and
international dishes at events across the Meadows.
In fact the project has been so successful that one of the
participants, Kamil Kaye, has just gained his first ever job at the
age of 23, after the project gave him the support, confidence and
the motivation he needed to seek out a job. The training and
mentoring helped Kamil to get a full time job in a local factory,
which he does alongside continued volunteering work for the mobile
café and learning English four days a week.
Kamil said: "What really inspired me was how CORE really looks
after people, not leaving you to deal with your problems alone.
Joining the project has given me a stronger personality and the
confidence in my new job. My ambition in the future is to open my
own business".
The project is always seeking volunteers who can help for two
hours a week or more in any aspect of their operations, especially
with pulling the mobile café trailer.