Recently the Barista program took place. There were 14 students that attended. Everyone was very nervous about the class but as usual the amazing tutors had them laughing and enjoying the experience. We had a couple of young teenagers in the group. Both not wanting to stay at school, and this was one way to give them a little qualification to fall back on if they decide to follow through with their pans to exit high school early.
There was a mother daughter team that came. Mum was moral support for her girl who suffers from anxiety, and this was a way to help her daughter to overcome the group dynamics and gain a qualification with someone she loves close by. By the end of the program, she started to come out of her shell, and we got to see her incredible smile. I heard later that she loved the course and was glad she attended. She already works in a café but is not allowed to make the coffees. She is hopeful that this course will change that, and she will be trusted with the coffee machine in the future. Apparently, mum was really glad she did it too.
One of the students came to see me the day before the class began. She was so nervous about going the following day and needed to talk through a couple of things. She told me she has been put down and made fun of all her life and she has decided that this is the year that she does things for herself. She mentioned she had a very supportive partner who has encouraged her to do the Barista program even though she has some physical disabilities. I told her she had come to the right place, and we would help her to regain the confidence that was stolen from her.
The Barista program is just the beginning for this lady. We have great hope that she will embark on a journey to find herself again. For many years she was wandering in a forest of judgement from others, a place that has been restricting on every level. Now she has come to Transform with the hope that she can find herself again and live the life she has only ever dreamed of.
I spoke to her at the end of the course, and she was positively radiant from the experience. She is so glad she came, and she said that her disabilities did not hinder her in any way. She said, ‘I don’t know what I was worried about!’
One of the guys who did the HT with us a month ago and wanted to get his Barista certificate came back this week. He said he has always made an average coffee and this week learnt why. He is confident he has learnt from his mistakes and now has the skills to make a good brew every time.
He owns a lifestyle block but is keenly aware that other houses are getting closer to his property. Plan B is to sell up and move to a larger lifestyle block and with truck driving, petrol stations and cafes being the only employment options in many rural areas he has decided that doing the Barista course along with his HT is future proofing his income.
Everyone passed the course, and they are all excited about what the future holds for them. The tutors were very impressed with this group, especially when some of them didn’t understand what was expected and asked for help instead of feeling overwhelmed.
