Inspiring Young Refugees Through Bread
Bread is beautiful.
It’s global yet local.
It’s simple yet complex.
It comes in different shapes,
sizes and flavours.
It’s also powerful.
It can transform lives.
Around 70% of refugees are unemployed, despite being highly skilled. At Breadwinners, we’re on a mission to change that.
We are a grassroots charity supporting refugees into work through selling artisan sourdough bread. We employ refugees at our 11 market stalls in London and Brighton to sell high quality, organic bread, and to manage our wholesale service. We also run a work experience programme for young people seeking asylum who are not allowed to work, but want to continue developing their skills.
Our three employability programmes combine three key ingredients: work, training and mentoring, to equip young refugees with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to progress into long-term employment.
To get a better flavour of what we do (pun intended), meet Vanessa and Ruth. Vanessa is Market Manager at Victoria Park, and Ruth has now progressed into further employment having been Market Manager. Hear from them about how Breadwinners has changed their lives.
Vanessa:
I joined Breadwinners in October 2019 on their work experience programme. I became a Market Stall Manager, working with them until May 2021. It’s hard to put into words what Breadwinners means to me. I don’t think I can say thank you enough for everything they’ve done. I’ve developed confidence that I never thought I’d have. Breadwinners has helped me see myself in a different light. I used to be hard on myself, but the team always said, “You can do this”. The support I had was amazing. I’m forever grateful. They take their time to understand each person and stand up for everyone. They treat us like human beings. That’s what makes Breadwinners stand out.
When I think of Breadwinners, I think of family. The environment and the people around you are so supportive. Even when you leave the programme, you’re still part of it. You have a place. Not everyone has that, but you do at Breadwinners. They helped me to integrate into my community. I’d been in the UK for a long time but they helped me see more opportunities.
Working at Breadwinners helped me to learn how to deal with customers, understand their needs and develop patience. In fact, it helped me to know how to deal with people in general. I don’t think I could ever have got another job if it hadn’t been for the training and support. Before, I was scared to do a job interview but now I have so much more confidence. The training we did really helped me to get my next job. When I was in that interview, I felt relaxed because the Breadwinners training had given me confidence and knowledge. I spoke about my market experience and I got the job instantly! I’m really proud that I’ve come so far. It wasn’t easy but I’m proud. Now I’m working front of house at a restaurant and doing a training programme at Luminary Bakery.
My favourite bread is the baguette. I mash avocado with condensed milk and have it as a dip for the bread. You should try it, it’s so good!
Ruth:
I initially wanted to work with Breadwinners because I’m interested in community work. I want to be able to impact the lives of people I’m passionate about - young people seeking asylum and refugees.
When I first started the job I was nervous. However, the training was helpful and the market managers were friendly and taught me well, which made me feel more confident. Now I wake up every Sunday and I want to go to the market!
The job has given me a purpose. The best part of the job is meeting and talking to people at the market. It’s so nice to see people smiling. No day is the same.
I’m learning lots about customer service and how to talk to people. This will help me in my future jobs as I will always have to talk to people. More than anything, this job has taught me I can do anything.
Working at Breadwinners has helped me to achieve some of my goals. One of them was to work with a charity, and now I am! In the future, I want to set up my own charity, providing safe housing for people seeking asylum, and so this job has been really useful as it’s shown me different aspects of working in a charity. I’m also building my employability skills so I’ll be able to move on to another job more easily afterwards.
My favourite bread is ciabatta, toasted with lots of butter! Or the almond croissant. I’m based at Victoria Park Market every Sunday, pop down and meet me some time.