5 small businesses to support this world refugee day
Your dosh can go a long way.
To mark World Refugee Day, we’ve popped together five local organisations that have come up with a bucketload of innovative ways that engage a plethora of folk in the community and support refugees – whether that be through cooking, floristry, catering, shopping or creating. Peruse our picks below.
FREE TO FEED This Melbourne/Naarm-based not-for-profit social enterprise is all about connecting people through food. Free to Feed offers people from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds training, employment and psycho-social support through their programs, while also dishing up one heck of a meal. The idea is simple (hence, incredibly effective) – hungry guests participate in a cooking class led by a top-notch cook, communing over a shared food experience and learning about the cook’s cuisine.
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THE SOCIAL STUDIO Part-retailer, part-educator, The Social Studio is a not-for-profit social enterprise that uses fashion as a tool for opportunity. The organisation’s education programs and TAFE-accredited training provides new migrants and refugees a supported space to develop a plethora of skills fit for the fashion and design industry. Not only does The Social Studio train budding fashion-types in creating garms out of recycled materials saved from landfill, but they also sell these swish pieces at their shop in Melbourne.
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PLATE IT FORWARD We love a pun – especially when it lives up to its meaning. Plate It Forward is a Sydney/Warrane-based social enterprise that provides training and employment opportunities to marginalized communities from around the region, all while donating meals to vulnerable people across the globe. Spanning across four schmick restaurants, Plate It Forward strives to transform the success of their eateries into further social change, meaning diners can enjoy a delicious meal all while paying it forward and helping empower vulnerable communities.
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THE BEAUTIFUL BUNCH Few things are more joyous than a lovely bunch of flowers. Well, except for the work that The Beautiful Bunch are doing. This Victorian-based not-for-profit engages young women from refugee backgrounds through employment opportunities and training. Combining skills that cover everything from floristry to computer literacy and creative collaboration, The Beautiful Bunch is working to do some good for the community and newly arrived young women, all while making bouquets that look just as good.
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THE BREAD AND BUTTER PROJECT This clever organisation doesn’t sell just any old loaf of plain bread. No – this bread helps train and employ people seeking refuge in Australia, all while donating 100 per cent of their profits. The Bread and Butter Project is a social enterprise bakery that helps to instill a sense of belonging in community for newly arrived people through baking. As a staple food at the heart of many different cuisines around the world, it’s fitting that no matter where a baker comes from, their bread is a means of sharing and connection in their new home.
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