The Artizan Cafe and Creative Space provides training and work experience for young adults with learning disabilities. We also run therapeutic art and craft workshops for people with disabilities (PWDs) to learn craft skills. Artizan International as a larger organisation is Training skilled volunteers to set up employment-generating craft workshops for PWDs facing poverty in the developing world. Here in the uk we are running a shop to sell products made by PWDs in our workshops in the developing world to provide them with an income.
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+ est. £633.75
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The Artizan Cafe and Creative Space was launched a year ago to create work experience, day services and skills training for disabled young adults.
We also hoped that the central position of our Cafe would bridge a gap in the local community between the able and differently-able and we have certainly achieved that already. The acceptance of our members and the work we do in Harrogate has been so beautifully embraced by the local community, it constantly gives our team the boost to strive through the challenges we face as a charity in the current economic climate.
Using our own industry-focussed training pathways, we are providing a vocational training programme unlike anything seen before, providing an end-to-end solution that truly enables learning-disabled adults to attain their dream of paid employment with local employers. The progress we have seen in just 12 short months is to be celebrated. Parents and carers are telling us that they haven't seen change like it before in their children/clients.
Our members are training in food preparation of all the elements of our lunch menu, baking cakes and biscuits for the cafe, serving customers at the counter, taking orders, using the till, barista training, customer service and sales; cleaning, and of course food hygiene.
We are providing an unusual setting for our members of colleagues and friends there to support, not teachers and care staff. Allowing them to feel part of a team and grow in strength and confidence.
A parent told us “No one has believed in them like this before. Given them an opportunity to succeed rather than just activities to keep them busy"
The Cafe and Creative Space has also meant that we have been able to offer more connection to our community such as launching the brand new “Llama Lounge” SEN teenage youth club and seeing the return post covid of our our “Crafty Llamas” primary school age craft clubs.
Having our Cafe and Creative space and the exceptional team running it, we are now able to provide these valuable services bringing safe spaces, friendship, socialisation and purpose to these young people to reach their potential.
We are the base for many local support groups and even a youth club for disabled young adults, providing space to socialise and make friends in a safe environment.
With high bills to pay and grant funding harder and harder to achieve for charities, we are launching this crowd funder to help support the work we do.
