The aim of the Fernside Food project was to create a holistic social enterprise experience that is different to other training/work-ready programs. The learning was largely experiential with opportunities for exposure to a diverse range of work options over the 6 week course from selling food out of the food truck at Waterloo skatepark, to catering a morning tea for a Canterbury Hospital awards ceremony; participants catered for NAIDOC celebrations at Poet’s Corner in Redfern, sold food at the Yaralla festival and Weave’s annual Mad Pride event. 

We wanted to create a learning platform that was dynamic and engaging that would build individual capacity for new things, connect them together as a group and teach them life skills in cooking and nutrition regardless or whether they wanted a career in hospitality.

Motivating young people toward lasting behaviour change is rarely a simple process and usually requires tangible experiences, supportive environments, knowledgeable mentors and a willingness to take direct action – like the Fernside Food project - which provided a soft entry point to employment giving participants training opportunities and experience of casual work in a supportive, community focused environment. Based on a human-centred design model, participants shaped and directed a positive community initiative building confidence, capacity and employability skills.

The Fernside Food project attracted other participants along the way, from community members in Woolloomooloo that wanted to engage in food prep training and field trips, to young mum’s from Waterloo looking for flexible work hours, and a middle aged man who just got out of gaol and was looking for opportunities to find his feet. We had participants that were young Aboriginal women being case managed by Weave who did a fantastic job working in the food truck at community events.

Participants achieved the following training outcomes:

• Valuable employability skills: team-work, communication,

• Food Safety Supervisor’s Certificate

• Senior First Aid Certificate

• Statement of Attainment in Commercial Cooking and Catering facilitated by Tafe Outreach and TwoGood.

• Enterprise Development Skills: Market research, menu development, creation of brand identity etc facilitated by The Big Feed.

Collaborating Partners: Redlink, NSW Health SLHD, The Big Feed, TAFE Outreach, TwoGood, Basement Skate, Breadfern