Emily Chapman Laing
The EVERY 1 Cafe is a first of its kind coffee shop running in Cranbourne.
A fully inclusive community café where everyone is welcome to attend, EVERY 1 is capable of working regardless of disability and everyone is supported and treated with respect.
This concept was the brainchild of Jo Muir, Amstel Club’s inclusion manager, who knew this programme would have a positive impact on the lives of people who would otherwise struggle to find such an opportunity.
“Watching each of our inclusive team grow in confidence and ability after only a few short weeks has been the absolute highlight for me,” she said.
“This program changes lives, it creates and welcomes conversation around inclusiveness and best of all it creates experiences.
“I am beyond proud to be working with such amazing individuals and look forward to seeing all the inclusive activities go from strength to strength at the club.”
The Amstel Club had the facilities and the open mind to jump into the project, funding not only the consumables, but also the allocation of the space and all collateral.
Umbrella Support has values which align with the club and this programme, and together they all work to ensure the participants feel supported.
The café provides a supportive learning environment for those in the community who live with a disability and a place where resilience and growth are on the menu.
The aim of this program is to provide active participants with the opportunity to learn all the working elements of a café.
These skills can then assist participants to find paid work within the local hospitality sector.
The program’s participants Alyshia, Cody, Scarlett, Tyson and Tildy each share a common interest in hospitality and have never had the opportunity to work across all aspects of a café business.
Each are encouraged to take responsibility for all aspects of the business, and are taught more complex tasks as their confidence grows.
From greeting and seating customers, to taking orders, making drinks, organising marketing materials, selecting music and so much more.
After opening the doors for the first-time on Thursday 23 February, the team are eager and proud to be opening every Thursday afternoon from 1.30pm to 3.30pm in the courtyard at the Amstel Club.
A gold coin donation will secure you a delicious housemade milkshake or smoothie, or a delicious coffee made by the barista.
“Amstel’s inclusivity programme is nothing short of incredible,“ said Dan Muir, Amstel Club managing director.
“The genuine smiles we see on our participants during each and every shift is proof of the enormity of the positive impact that these programmes are having on people’s lives.
“It is my hope that innovative inclusivity programmes like those being undertaken at Amstel will become the norm right across the country.”
It is a commonly held belief that people with a disability struggle to achieve personal growth and find it difficult or even impossible to learn new skills.
Amstel Club strongly disagrees and has solid evidence that its inclusivity programmes are beneficial, with participants smashing through their individual learning and confidence building goals and taking on additional responsibilities each and every week.
“Meaningful work placements and skill building opportunities for people living with a disability in our experience can prove difficult to source,” Cindy Warren of Umbrella Support said.
“The key is to partner with organisations who share the same vision and have a genuine investment in working together to support long-term individual outcomes.
“Amstel are providing these opportunities for our participants and as a result we are seeing lives change.”
The EVERY 1 Cafe is an extension to the disability inclusion programme that Amstel Club has been running for the past six months.
Amstel provides fully paid employment for six people living with a disability who work on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons in the bistro and across the venue.
These participants are supported by local support provider Umbrella Support.
This collaborative effort allows participants to grow and take pride in their achievements.
The feedback from the Amstel Club community has been overwhelming, both for the launch of the EVERY 1 Cafe and the overall inclusion programmes.
In total, Amstel Club currently has eight participants who are each supported to reach their NDIS goals, while working and learning in a safe, supportive and encouraging environment.
The club is excited that more inclusive staff will be joining new and existing programmes over the coming months.
