Hey

A good friend of mine is raising money for “The Launch Pad”

Please read the following from their fundraiser and consider donating.

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Combining our backgrounds in employment/HR & hospitality, we plan to break the cycle: “Can’t get a job without experience, can’t get experience without a job”

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-launch-pad

In Short:

We’re Anne and Robert – a husband and wife team with plenty of employment-related experience who run two businesses:

People Magic, which offers employment and recruitment services, and has undertaken a lot of projects to help disadvantaged people into employment;
The Devotea, which operates in hospitality, has run cafes, imports and blends tea, and blends coffee.

We propose to start The Launch Pad: a small cafe/lunch spot/tea house that uniquely offers the unemployed the chance to gain valuable work experience. It sounds simple, but it isn’t.

Here’s What We Need:
We will be contributing time, expertise and some products. We are planning to partner with a charity or a local council to provide us with a location. But we need to equip it with:
A coffee machine. A drinks fridge. A counter. Tables and Chairs. Lighting. An oven. A microwave. Maybe paint and some funky decor.
Easy to do with $25K, but we think more fun to so with $12.5K (after funding costs), some elbow grease, some ingenious re-cycling and a positive attitude.

Here’s What You Get:

A better community. A sense of accomplishment. Inner Peace. And perhaps a T-Shirt.
And Here’s Why:

Work experience is difficult for all parties. Most cafés fall into two categories: Maybe they’d like to genuinely help, but insurance and the need to supervise means it actually costs money and time. Or the other category who think Work Experience Person = Free Dishwasher and Cleaner.

In The Launch Pad Cafe; all front of house and some other staff are undergoing structured work experience. Not just turning up, but a 10 or 20 shift rotation which is assessed by experts. They get professional feedback. Career guidance.

Sometimes it’s a start in life: young people in their first role. Other times, it’s a fresh start. Mother returning to the workforce after many years. People recovered form physical or mental disability. Migrants who need “local experience”.

Uniquely, virtually all position in this organisation will offer experience to someone. And if they grasp the opportunity, it will give them a great launch pad.

The café will have a focus on healthy food; a nod to fair trade, a recognition of organic and free range principles and a commitment to local produce.

We intend to build on the success of this first venture in Adelaide, South Australia to create a network across Australia and eventually across the world, all run by locals helping locals.

How You Can Help

Donate Your Money and see others help themselves
Spread the word.
Think good thoughts.
If you are in the Southern Suburbs of Adelaide, you can contact us about volunteering with the fit out.

We’ll take any of the above with thanks. Preferably the money, as we are unable to find a coffee machine vendor who will accept payment in good thoughts.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-launch-pad