Café aims to engage students and break down barriers

A TEACHER from Barwon Heads has launched a fundraising appeal to help Indigenous students start their own community café.

Jess Lister is presently working at the Fregon Anangu School located on the APY Lands (a 3.5-hour drive down from Uluru) and has started a Go Fund Me page to see if she can raise enough money to buy a coffee machine.

“Our community of 280 people has only one shop with limited opening hours, leaving many community members craving a fresh student made barista coffee and cake,” Jess said.

“We would love to provide our senior kids with an exciting, engaging and motivating opportunity of running a community café – we call it The Café Enterprise Project – but we need a little help to raise money to purchase a coffee machine.

“As part of the enterprise program, students will establish a business plan to support and help run the café.

“Students will also become involved in every aspect of the business developing skills that will help them find work after school.”

Jess said the student-led community café would also help with re-engaging their most disengaged senior students in schooling and provide them with many opportunities to improve their maths and English.

“It will also provide a platform for the school to strengthen the community-school relationships,” she said.

“Currently, community members have negative views and beliefs of schooling, but I hope to break down those barriers with welcoming community into school.”

Jess said the student-led community café would also offer an opportunity for the school and community to come together socially and view the learning success of their children and value the positive outcomes.

She said she ran some mini Enterprise trial runs, which included some bake sales with students in term 3 and 4 to raise money for costumes for their dance concert.

“We made $800 and the kids looked fabulous!” she said.

“It was a trial to see how both the kids and community engaged/supported us – it was a hit! “This is why we are ready to take it to the next level and provide the students with the opportunity to run their own cafe weekly.”

To donate, head to gofundme.com/aboriginalkids- contributing-to-their-community.