More than just a cafe
10 Feb 2010
There are few things I love more than finding a great café or restaurant. Over time many have captured my attention but I have found only a few that have captured my thoughts. Despite distance, I still find myself back in these places. All of them tend to be a little arty, have great staff, amazing food and in some way or another are helping people in our world.
After moving back with my sister recently, she began to tell me of a café she had found on holidays. It was something she insisted I would love and preceded in convincing me I needed to check it out myself.
Out of curiosity, I looked it up online and was both inspired and encouraged with what I found! The place was called "The Social Studio." Quite like others I found myself retuning to, it had an arty feel to it and friendly warm staff but the way they were helping people was unique to what I had heard before.
All the staff at The Social Studio are Refuges. The non-profit organization also offers education and training to refuges in clothing design, manufacturing and retail. The primary aim of the group is to give refugees a safe, welcoming place to learn new skills from experienced designers so they can then find employment in their new homeland.
As a result of their efforts, many peoples lives are being built into and changed so that they to can go out and impart into their society. Many people who might have otherwise felt alone are also given a community they can connect to and are surrounded by people they can relate with. It is so great to see people in their local community who have seen the need around them and have approached it creatively to make a difference.
We at I-HEART thought their story was inspiring. Its amazing how the ideas of few can impact the lives of many when put into action!
To find out more, visit - THE SOCIAL STUDIO
Comments
Re: More than just a cafe
Es hermoso saber que hay un grupo de personas que estan ayudando a las personas que por diferentes problemas deciden salir de su PATRIA , PARA REFUGIARSE EN OTRO PAIS Y BUSCAR UN MEJOR FUTURO , Y EN ESE LUGAR HAY UNA ORGANIZACION COMO SOCIAL STUDIO PARA AYUDARLOS ES DE INSPIRACION PARA MI VIDA PRAYER POR CADA REFUGIADO GOD GUARDE A SUS FAMILY QUE HAN QUEDADO EN SU PAIS DE ORIGEN LOS AMO A TODOS HOY QUE HAREMOS PARA MARCAR LA DIFERENCIA ? LUJAN
10 Feb 2010 by lujan quispe // Argentina
Re: More than just a cafe
Wow!! What an amazing place! Thanks so much for sharing! There's nothing like losing yourself in an amazing cup of coffee & letting your thoughts wonder as you sit & watch the world go by! And seriously what an amazing world to be a part of.. the thought of brothers & sisters from different cultures all together, being given a chance to learn & grow & walk on their own two feet! How exciting! And to know our cup of coffee can be a part of something so much bigger...
I love experiencing new things & after living in Thailand for the past 6 months, I've experienced coffee in a whole new way! One of our Thai team members lives in the mountains with a Hill-tribe & he's started his own coffee shop, we've nick-named it "Yingwit's Starbucks"! But basically, he just opens up his two-room hut to the village & everyone is always welcome. He serves one type of coffee & one type only, 3-in-1 sachets! It's free of course, & is basically an answer to the problem of alcohol in that village. Alcoholism used to be a huge issue, but instead of drinking at night-time out of boredom, the village people now visit Yingwit's hut & drink coffee! It's an amazing sight.. he can have up to 25 Thai villagers squished in his tiny hut each night, drinking coffee & talking about life.. Yingwit tells them stories, shares the Gospel & teaches them many different things; how to read, how to write etc. as many have not been educated. He has so many visitors they often have to share cups, & I've heard that sometimes even, when the place is packed, the men will pass around the coffee sachets & simply tip it in their mouths, take a swig of hot water, swirl it around & swallow.. Now that's a new way of doing coffee!! :)
Coming back to Australia, I've learnt to cherish my coffee times, more for the experience (as much as I LOVE coffee) and to recognise that coffee is about the people we interact with & share of ourselves & lives with. It's about the people who serve us, the people who join us & God the One we share our thoughts with. But it goes even bigger than that.. I worked in the head office of Gloria Jean's Coffees for some time & it was only then that I realised just how many hands play a role in the coffee that touches our lips.. Every cup of coffee goes through approximately 40 sets of hands, how crazy is that?! From the picking, harvesting, sorting, grading, raking, removing layers, husking, packing, roasting, transporting & even then just to the coffee shops... It's incredible! And each set of those hands is a life represented in places all over the world! It's been said that "we can change the world, one cup of coffee at a time" & I so believe this! It's about relationships & loving people, & placing value on one another!!.. Hmm, I'm not really sure where all this came from, but your article inspired me! One of my favourite things in the world is to curl up in a comfy chair, in the corner of a coffee shop, with my journal or a good friend to share the journey with..
I love that you've found a cafe/coffee shop that's about helping people, everything should be about people! :) Next time I'm in Melbourne I will definitely be visiting..!
10 Feb 2010 by Riannah Easton // Australia
Re: More than just a cafe
Wow, this is so good! So great when you find cafes like this! Rihanna your story is incredible, I just dissapear in your story!!:) I love when people really think about what they are doing!
13 May 2010 by Lizette Jonsson // Sweden
