Good sort Sarah Dann-Hoare of Project Employ has become one of the first Kiwis to be awarded a share in $15,000 through Panadol’s Care Collective Program.
The Care Collective, launched in New Zealand this year, aims to recognise the extraordinary people who go above and beyond to care for others.
After years of working as a special education teacher on Auckland’s North Shore, Sarah was struck by the lack of employment opportunities for those with intellectual and learning disabilities.
She had a dream of opening a training café similar to those in her native UK – and after nine years of hard work, she achieved it in August this year.
Her not-for-profit, Project Employ, runs Flourish Café in Takapuna’s Como St, which is already transforming the lives of her first trainees. It’s also getting enquiries from across New Zealand, and more may be opening soon.
Project Employ doesn’t pay the trainees as it is a training/work experience programme supporting the trainees to become work-ready. Project Employ also doesn’t charge the trainees – their training programme costs approximately $12k per trainee and provides them with work experience in a real cafe, supported by job coaches.
The café manager and barista are paid employees, but for the trainees it’s a training programme getting them ready for paid employment.
