Gold Foundation is seeking sponsors for its ‘Shine Like Gold!’ Cafe social innovation project in the Adelaide CBD. Young people aged 14 and over will build real-life practical skills through paid workplace employment. With the success of Gold Foundation’s Mobile Cafe launched in 2022 and supported by an ACF Grant in 2024, we now have ...
Gold Foundation
‘Shine Like Gold!’ Cafe in the Adelaide CBD
GOAL
$20,000
Australia > SA > Metro
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Education/training and employment
Target Population
- People with a disability, illness or disease
- Young people (6-25)
Gold Foundation
Gold Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation providing support for young people on the Autism Spectrum and their families. Our mission is simple: connect young autistic people to the world around them and empower them through the discovery and uncovering of their individual strengths. We want young autistic people to be proud of who they are, go above and beyond, stand tall, be inspired and feel like they belong. For over 17 years, Gold Foundation has provided a holistic service offering social skills programs for 6 to 12-year-olds, life skills programs and social groups for teenagers and employment pathways for young adults as well as fun events for the whole community. Our motto is, 'Discovering the Unique Abilities of Young People on the Autism Spectrum', meaning we endeavour to focus on young people’s ‘abilities’ vs their ‘disabilities’. Gold Foundation's current priority is its 'Go for Gold Project', in which it seeks to provide ongoing employment, education and training opportunities for young autistic people as they transition from school life into adulthood. Our unique approach to Autism Spectrum intervention has been highly successful in the form of our 'Shine Like Gold!' Mobile Cafe social innovation project, which uses a fee-for-service model and currently employs 30 young autistic people aged 14-25 years. To expand the reach of our inclusive employment initiative, we are seeking an ACF grant to help us establish a permanent cafe in the Adelaide CBD, which will provide ongoing employment to young autistic people, whom we will train as baristas.
Project Summary
Gold Foundation is seeking sponsors for its ‘Shine Like Gold!’ Cafe social innovation project in the Adelaide CBD. Young people aged 14 and over will build real-life practical skills through paid workplace employment. With the success of Gold Foundation’s Mobile Cafe launched in 2022 and supported by an ACF Grant in 2024, we now have over 30 young autistic employees and too few shifts to give them. We believe this is a good problem to have because it demonstrates the overwhelming success of Gold Foundation’s approach to Autism Spectrum intervention.
The Adelaide CBD Cafe will enable young autistic people to set and make progress on work skills development goals by working as baristas and service. The Cafe will also facilitate positive interactions between young autistic people and their neurotypical peers, eliminating barriers to employment and community participation experienced by young autistic people. The Adelaide CBD Cafe will be an ongoing project delivered by Gold Foundation under the umbrella of the ‘Go for Gold Project, in which we seek to create employment and tertiary education opportunities for young autistic people as they transition from school life into adulthood.
Project Outcomes
Outcome 1: Establish a permanent social enterprise cafe in the Adelaide CBD.
Outcome 2: Expand the range and availability of services for young autistic people living in metropolitan Adelaide.
Outcome 3: Improve social and community inclusion for young autistic people.
Outcome 4: Activate commercial space in the Adelaide CBD by leveraging neurodiversity and the unique talents of young autistic people.
How Outcomes 1-4 will be measured: By the end of the project period, establish a fixed cafe in the Adelaide CBD, using the same social enterprise model as Gold Foundation's 'Shine Like Gold!' Mobile Cafe.
Outcome 5: Improve employment outcomes and labour market participation for young autistic people living in metropolitan Adelaide.
How Outcome 5 will be measured:
– Target to hire 20 young autistic people by the end of the project period.
– Target at least 20 young autistic people completing Gold Foundation's 12-week inclusive Hospitality Program by the end of the grant period.*
Outcome 6: Enable more young autistic people to set and make progress on work skills development goals.
How Outcome 6 will be measured: Surveys of participants querying the extent to which they felt that their engagement with the project helped them set and make progress on work skills development goals (Strongly disagree-Strongly agree scale). Target at least 75% of participants reporting 'Strongly Agree'.
* Successful completion of Gold Foundation's Inclusive Hospitality Program is a pre-requisite for employment in the cafe.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $205,890
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gold Foundation contribution | $166,100 |
| Inclusive Hospitality Program fees (10 participants, NDIS available for individuals who are self-managed or plan-managed) | $13,900 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Inclusive Hospitality Program cost to Gold Foundation | $5,890 |
| Staff wages (Casual, Level 1, Fast Food Industry Award | $74,400 |
| Setup costs (e.g. signage design and installation, minor refurbishments) | $7,600 |
| Project management and career coaching | $50,000 |
| Reporting and evaluation | $3,000 |
| Lease and outgoings | $50,000 |
| Overheads | $15,000 |
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