In these times, it’s heartening to read about other organizations helping refugees through food businesses. Makes us wonder: maybe there should be a trade group.
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Providence Granola joined the fun Saturday at the pop-up Buy With Heart Marketplace held at Brown University. The marketplace was hosted by the Social Enterprise Greenhouse and coincided with the 2016 SEEED (Social Enterprise Ecosystem for Economic Development) Summit in Providence.
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Isaaq fled Somalia as a young man to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. He arrived in the United States in September last year, and in October, we welcomed him to the Providence Granola Project. Recently, we asked Isaaq's case manager at the local refugee resettlement agency Dorcas International Institute of RI--which refers refugees to us for job training--to talk to Isaaq about his experiences.
Read MoreI work with international refugees who have recently settled in Providence. Most don’t speak English. Many are not literate in their own language. None are familiar with the American job system. Most live precariously, struggling to get a foot into the job market. As much as they love Providence, some aren’t sure they will stay.
Read MoreWe've launched our website, which, according to the 21st century, means we actually exist.
So we hope you'll celebrate our existence by stopping in at http://beautifuldayri.org/ and learn about our efforts to mobilize refugee employment. Ultimately we hope to develop a replicable community-based model that could enable people who face incredible barriers to employment to find work.
Read MoreIngredients: Oats (org), honey (pesticide-free from Aquidneckhoney), canola oil (org), granulated cane juice, coconut (org), sesame seeds (org), barley (org), almonds, cherries, apples, peaches, blueberries, nectarines, plums, pears (some fruit contains sulphur dioxide and potassium sorbate), oat bran (org), wheat germ, pecans, sunflower seeds (org), flax seeds (org), walnuts, oat fiber, sea salt, cinnamon, almond ext., vanilla, rum, nutmeg.
Read MoreJob opportunities for people who lack English, literacy, and are strangers to American culture and job market expectations are not plentiful, especially during a recession. Even with wonderful job placement and education services for newly-arrived refugees, few businesses have a vision to employ or accommodate these needs. Recognizing this gap gave Ben and Keith an idea: what if Rhode Island’s great need—job creation—could align with refugees’ needs? Then perhaps the most efficient way to make a positive difference would be to start businesses that hired refugees.
Read MoreOne of our motivating convictions is that work is far more than a paycheck, but rather a vital expression of being human, of having and using gifts. If this is true, then motivated people who desperately want to work (such as refugees) should have access to work as a basic need or right. For someone who has never worked in the US, the first step is any work; a foot in the door of the job-market. A secondary step is meaningful work, which is why we’re so interested in business incubation.
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A GAP IN RESOURCES: One encouraging thing about Providence is the comprehensive network of services being built for refugees. This includes, among other things, job-readiness classes and job development/placement services. But the gap in these services, as I see it, is paid, on-the-job training.
Read MoreThis is also an even longer way of reminding you that Providence Granola is at the ready to service all your granola needs.We’re very busy, but eager to be even busier.The web store is open. A Granola of the Month subscription, in particular, is a one-of-a kind gift that can keep nourishing and delighting year round.
Read MoreFor those of you who are not familiar with “The Best of Rhode Island” awards, when a restaurant wins “Best of Rhode Island” they make a banner and hang it outside their business all year long. Granted, Rhode Island is not a big state, but still…not too shabby. We’ll take it, wave our banner proudly – and hopefully see a boost in Granola of the Month subscriptions.
Read MoreA second employee, Evon Nano, originally from Iraq, recent grad from the Genesis Center Culinary Arts Program, and (here’s the sad part) my right-hand woman in the Providence Granola Project has found a job. She is now working at the CAV, a very trendy, upscale restaurant in the jewelry district. The job is part-time, but 4 days a week. Knowing how hard Evon works, I’m sure they’ll expand her hours.
Read MoreAs I see it, the main thing we are teaching our employees in this project is confidence—confidence that they can learn new skills, that they can communicate across almost any language barrier, and that they can be a crucial part of a team. Our hope is that what Berita learned with us played some part in helping her interview for and get a job, and that it will make her upcoming transition more smooth and less frightening. We will miss her.
Read MoreThis is an interview with Nelson Colon - the Providence Granola Project's "Serve Safe" whiz. He is a graduate of the Amos House Culinary Program.
Read Morewhat might help newly-arrived international refugees start rebuilding their lives in Providence? The answer: artisanal granola, of course.
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