Peer Mentoring Project – Social Enterprise

The Peer Mentoring Project is focused on helping people gain skills for employment. One innovative and exciting way we are doing this is through our cafe in Taibach, Port Talbot.

What is 12 Café?

12 Café is a social enterprise run by WGCADA, a limited company and registered charity. The café is located at 37 Commercial Road, Taibach in Port Talbot. The cafe manager has experience in both catering and mentoring substance misuse clientele.

What is a “Social enterprise?”

A Social Enterprise is a business that exists for social or environmental purposes. The Government defines Social Enterprise as: “business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.” 12 Café was established to offer training and employment opportunities for people who face disadvantage and barriers to employment.

12 Café - Recipe for Change:

The primary goal of 12 Café is to establish a self-sustainable social enterprise to provide WGCADA service users a safe environment in which they can develop confidence and self esteem. There will also be an opportunity for them to develop new skills and gain qualifications in catering and hospitality. 12 Café will provide WGCADA’s service users a bridge between motivational activities or treatment and their return to full contribution to society. The café offers healthy eating options in an alcohol free, friendly relaxed environment for Taibach and the surrounding communities. In addition, the café will also provide an opportunity to promote WGCADA’s services, aims and successes.

How 12 Café can help overcome the barriers that people face:

12 Café aims to enable individuals to get on with people and respect themselves whilst providing a safe learning environment in a respectful, open and trusting atmosphere.

12 Café offers volunteers and trainees great opportunity to;

• Gain practical advice, encouragement and support
• Learn from the experiences of others and at their own pace
• Increase social and academic confidence
• Gain recognised qualifications
• Become more empowered to make decisions
• Develop communication, study and personal skills
• Develop strategies for dealing with both personal and academic issues
• Identify goals and establish a sense of direction
• Make new friends across varied age groups and backgrounds

12 Café provides service users with a stepping stone towards engaging with and contributing to their community.

Looking after our Environment:

These days we are more aware than ever before of the importance of looking after our environment. As a social enterprise, the social and environmental objectives are absolutely essential to the business we are operating. 12 Café is committed to sustaining positive social and environmental change and to always operating with consideration for the social and environmental impact of our activities. We can reduce impact on the environment in several ways:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost
  Reusing packaging material saves more energy than recycling. Delivered ingredient purchases will be in bulk. Local fresh produce will be purchased and collected in reusable bags. By avoiding extra packaging, we can save both energy and landfill space. Kitchen and garden waste form 30% of rubbish. This quantity can be reduced by composting. The compost from 12 Café will be put to good use in WGCADA’s allotments.
• Conserve water & energy
  All cafe staff are instructed to conserve water by not leaving taps running. Energy efficient lighting is used but only when natural light is not adequate. The dishwasher is only operated when it is full. A gas combi-boiler is used for hot water on demand and for central heating, on a timer, with all radiators thermostatically controlled.
• Transport:
  One third of all traffic is commuters. To help save fuel and reduce emissions, 12 Café will actively encourage volunteers and trainees to use public transport or car sharing when possible.
• Fairtrade:
  is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. 12 Café aim to maximise use of Fairtrade approved produce.

How can you help?

For further information on the 12 Café scheme details contact Cheryl Hancock on 01639 894151 or cherylhancock@wgcada.co.uk.