WK FOUNDATION
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : h***o@w*************d.c*m
Mission Statement
WK Foundation is committed to breaking cycles of poverty that are perpetuated by broken food systems. Our holistic sustainability-centred hospitality training, education & work experience programme is run in accordance with Christian values and principles and supports young adults facing significant disadvantages by offering them a pathway to build their confidence and gain the skills and work experience needed to secure and sustain employment within the food and hospitality space. The programme aims to equip our trainees to be responsible, contributing members of their communities who are inspired to help re-connect their neighbourhoods with healthy food systems, reducing food insecurity and increasing access to and appetite for ‘good’ food. NOURISH: Nurturing Opportunities for young adults facing disadvantage by Unlocking their Remarkable potential, through Innovative, Sustainable Hospitality training. How Nourish and WK Foundation interact. The WK foundation uses NOURISH- a holistic sustainability-centred hospitality training and employment programme- as a pathway for integration for young adults facing disadvantages, who find themselves out of employment, training and education. The aim of the programme is to upskill the trainees, leading them on a work-readiness pathway, by giving them the necessary skills to contribute to, and therefore be a pro-active part of, society and their communities.
About This Cause
Well Kneaded provides training, employment and community to some of the most disadvantaged young people in London. Through our Sustainable Hospitality Training Programme, we provide a pathway within a nurturing environment, for young people facing multiple disadvantages to become responsible, contributing members of society. As a result of their time with WK Foundation, our graduates have been able to secure sustained employment or training, develop aspirations for their life, and re-establish a nature connection, which tackles the disconnection between sustainable food systems (access to healthy, fresh food and the environments they are produced in) and inner city communities, breaking cycles of disadvantage. Who do we support? We provide opportunities for young people, from the age of 18, who are living with two or more disadvantages including; criminal record; care leaver; low educational attainment; caring responsibilities; family involved in crime, those not in education, training or employment. Due to the focus on those young people facing multiple disadvantage, we work with young people for up to 18 months, in order that they receive the level of support needed to transition them to responsibility and employability. Young people are referred to us by voluntary partner organisations because they have experienced multiple disadvantages and find themselves struggling to engage productively with society. 30% of our trainees have experienced homelessness, 40% have been involved in the criminal justice system and 50% grew up in care, 80% of our trainees begin on benefits. When our trainees are onboarded, they are not in employment, education or training and they have already received an initial level of support through the organisation referring them and are ready to make a step towards gaining skills and experience to help them become a responsible member of society through independence and employment. What difference do we make? The WK training programme has so far provided opportunities for 11 young people. Of these young people, the programme has been able to go on to support 6 into employment with Well Kneaded and of these 6, 2 are still working in full or part time positions with Well Kneaded. Of the total number of young people that we worked with, over 65% of them were still in employment 1 year after finishing their training with Well Kneaded. 10% of our graduates have set up their own business and 15% went into further training. 90% of our graduates said they now think more about the food that they are eating, and the impact that has on their bodies. 60% said they have changed their food budgeting and buying habits to make more environmentally conscious choices with food purchases. Secondary school tutor to one of our first graduates, and now full time employed chefs: “..With all that was set against him in terms of the learning difficulties he faced together with the lack of support structures once leaving education, I found it hard to imagine a future in sustained employment for him. Even with the support he received at school, he really struggled with initial employment journey tasks, such as completing application forms. Well Kneaded has provided him with a hope and a future and a job that I honestly couldn’t have imagined was an option for him”. Context. Between 2014-2019 the Sustainable Hospitality Skills Training Programme was run as a project within social enterprise, Well Kneaded Ltd. The scope of work and support that we were able to offer was limited to a small pool of trainees, as the programme was run alongside the day to day running of the events business. Despite this we received awards from Urban Food Routes, and Wandsworth Council and the Sustainable Restaurant association for our work in connecting young people with sustainable food systems. In 2019, we launched our first pizzeria to create our first very own training hub and stable ‘base’ from which to grow the reach of our work. The pizzeria launched with two of our youth graduates as part of the core pizza cheffing team, which was a wonderful moment of celebration. After just over a year of operating with a fixed site, and supporting our graduates, Covid struck and plans to expand our programme were paused, whilst the viability of operating under Covid restrictions had to be assessed. The moment of pause gave the board and team time to reflect and a decision was reached to create a new charity, WK Foundation, out of which to deliver the programmes, and grow the impact of the programmes. In July 2023, WK Foundation was granted charity status by the charities commission. The first work that the board of the WK Foundation want to prioritise is the re-development of our programme. This has already begun with the undertaking of the first of a few Theory of Change workshops, which is bringing greater clarity to our impact, outcomes and in turn the activity we use to achieve them. We are aiming to launch a pilot of our re-developed training programme in Autumn 2024.