This month, the Amstel Club was awarded the prestigious Mental and Social Well-being Program (Metro) Award at the Community Clubs Victoria (CCV) 2023 Gala Awards.
The award acknowledged Amstel Club’s inclusive initiatives providing meaningful opportunities for those living with a disability.
An offering of the size offered by Amstel Club does not exist anywhere within the Community Club space.
The team at Amstel Club are firm believers that everyone should be given an opportunity, and their inclusivity initiatives are bridging the gap for those living with disabilities.
Jo Muir, Amstel Club Inclusion Manager said “I could not be prouder of what the Amstel Club have done to raise not only awareness of inclusion but also to be the trailblazer in the community, providing so many opportunities for learning, skills building and confidence growth“.
“Working alongside each participant of the program, and watching them learn and grow is my cup half full moment.“
Amstel Club provide over 72 participant hours a week dedicated to inclusion-based activities within the Club environment.
These programmes allow 13 individuals, who are each living with a disability, the chance to learn and build in confidence.
This is undertaken throughout a range of opportunities, all supported in conjunction with the team from Umbrella Support.
The participants see themselves involved in many aspects of the Amstel Club and the surrounding community of Cranbourne.
The Amstel Club undertakes three inclusions programmes and is a leader in disability inclusion within the hospitality sector.
Amstel offers a fully award paid employment programme for 7 participants who to date have celebrated 600 hours of fully paid employment.
Many do not get the opportunity for fully award paid employment however, this team get the same wage as others on staff, and Amstel are very proud of this achievement.
The employment team are based in the bistro they are learning all aspects of bistro service.
The programme runs on Tuesday and Wednesday lunch service in the Amstel bistro.
A community café, called Every 1 has been running since February in the courtyard at Amstel.
This serves as a training ground providing customer service, food handling and preparation and social opportunities.
The team has two qualified baristas, making the best coffee in town, and a great team working on making milkshakes and smoothies.
This café operates weekly each Thursday afternoon from 1.30 – 3.30pm with 8 participants.
The Every 1 is a safe community space for the team to learn, put their skills into practice and meet so many wonderful members of the community who come in to enjoy a drink and some great hospitality not found anywhere else.
Every 1 has been a huge success with the community with well over 1,000 drinks served throughout the past 5 months.
Amstel Club also run a cooking academy each week.
This allows participants to gain skills in cooking and preparing meals, food handling and understanding of a commercial kitchen.
This is run by the Amstel Executive Chef and his team, and allows real skills building to assist the team to cook independently and create good food choices and practises.
“These programs allow our participants the opportunity to grow in both confidence and learning,“ said Daniel Muir, Managing Director of Amstel Club.
“It is a real honour to run these programs and be recognised at the winner of this area of inclusion for the state of Victoria.
“The heart of our club is community and providing these opportunities and giving back is just what community clubs do.”
Mr Muir said he “couldn’t be prouder“ of his team.
“This award is for Haley, Charlotte, Tildy, Shan, Amelia, Angelina, TJ, Cody, Ryan, Scarlett, Britt, Aly and Bethany,“ he said.
“Each of these amazing individuals are a wonderful addition to our Amstel Team.“
Community is key to Amstel and the award has been a welcome acknowledgement to the team who work on making these programmes both enriching and beneficial to each of the participants.
The plaque will proudly be displayed in the Amstel Club foyer for the community to admire.
CCV Chairman & President, Greg Roberts said the awards night provided the appropriate platform for clubs to be recognised for their hard work.
“We believe it’s crucial to acknowledge and appreciate our Clubs who have continued to adapt to the challenging operational climate,” said Mr Roberts
“We are thrilled to host this prestigious awards night, a celebration of the remarkable individuals and clubs whose unwavering efforts have made a profound impact on our local communities.
“It is an honour to recognise their exceptional contributions to the social and economic well-being of Victoria.“
The CCV Awards Night offers an opportunity for clubs and their employees to celebrate their achievements through a variety of award categories, including community partnerships, sustainability, entertainment, social impact, well-being and more.
The night serves as a platform to recognise and acknowledge the successful individuals and Clubs whose contributions greatly impact the social and economic well-being of their Victorian communities.
