What difference can a job make?
Ingeborg Broochman, Anna Harch, Moya Jones and Craig McAllister on board the Espresso Train on Brisbane's northside.
Coffee set has done it tough
When the Espresso Train café opened its doors on Brisbane 's northside in July this year, it wasn't just the aroma of freshly ground coffee that filled the air - it was the sweet smell of hard earned success.
The people behind this thriving suburban business aren't your usual coffee set - many of them have been among the most disenfranchised and disillusioned on the employment market.
As Espresso Train staffer Danny puts it, "I was sitting at home all day going mad. I was cooped up and bored. Now I have more reasons to get up in the morning and I'm getting paid too."
Danny and his co-workers are among a group of people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities who have found a meaningful and rewarding role in the workplace through the Nundah Community Enterprise Cooperative.
The cooperative was founded in 1998 to provide members with opportunities for supported part-time and casual employment. Local organisations provide much of the work which, in turn, strengthens the local community and its economy.
In 2003 the cooperative generated a turnover of $80 000 by supplying quality services to the local community. In the process it provided regular work for 15 workers as well as employing four supervisors, a coordinator and an administrator on a part-time basis.
Coordinator David Langdon says key 'breakthroughs' for the cooperative have included the opening of Espresso Train with funding from the Gaming Machine Community Benefit Fund and the Presentation Sisters of Clayfield.
Other key milestones include the establishment of a regular park maintenance contract with the Brisbane City Council.
While the co-operative's commercial achievements are significant, David says the true measure of its success lies in the enormous difference it has made in the lives of its members.
"You're not what we want for the job. we have to let you go." Those are the phrases many of our workers have heard time and time again and that's demotivating for anyone," said David.
"Here, with the right support in place, our teams of people are keeping their jobs. If people have a bad day here, they don't get sacked. It takes a while to get used to that."
Nundah Community Enterprises has published a booklet detailing the development and operation of the cooperative. For a copy or more information contact 3260 7414.Last updated November 2007