Author: TM Diep

Page 9

EGERIA

The YWWAP program is entering its last phase with the young women finalising and presenting their business plan for a cafe which may one day be located at the Centre.
Who are we?
The women involved in the project are Keshna Gates, Danielle Wilkes, Amanda Douglass, Deleese Hinton & Melissa Colenutt, supported by the project coordinator Sonia Hoffmann.
The Plan
Their plan is for a lovingly titled ‘Comfy Café’ to provide the Local Macarthur Shire parents and children with a place were they can relax and enjoy a coffee while providing their children with a fun and entertaining environment. It will be child, breastfeeding and parent friendly - with a focus on being accessible to young parents in particular.
To develop the plan the group have undertaken a lot of research and developed a proposal which fits with the things that they care about and the hopes for the centre.
Thanks!
The young women would like to thank the following people for all there help and inspiration: Karen from Youth to Youth, Vanessa and other staff from Centre Management at Macarthur Square, Sonia Hoffmann our Project Coordinator, Liz Tinney, Robyn Brooks, Sue Martin and all the staff at the Benevolent Society; Colleen McLean from Work Ventures; and all the community members and cafes in Campbelltown that participated in the interviews to develop the plan.
They thank each other for contributing their hard work and time on the project.
Achievements
Their achievements include: a virtual café at The Benevolent Society in Campbelltown. We also ran a ‘One Day Café’ at the Centre for Women’s Health’s Winter Dreams festival in June 2004.
Setting up and operating a ‘virtual’ café business in Campbelltown since September 2003 through the Australian Network of Practice Firms. This means that they have had all the paperwork and organisation of running a café without anyone actually making, serving or drinking any coffee????... Don’t worry, it took me a while to catch on too. But it has been a wonderful way for this group to learn a whole lot about running a business and being enterprising. They have shared this experience with another group of YWWAP at a Secondary college in Victoria called Corio bay and many other groups who run practice firms who the young women have been trading with.
Running the ‘One day café’ at the Winter Dreams festival in June 2004, as we wrote in the last edition of Egeria, which was written up with a gorgeous picture of most of the group in their own hand designed and printed café shirts in the local newspaper!
Writing and presenting the business plan to business mentors including three representatives of Macarthur Square Centre management and our very own Sue Martin from the Savers Plus program at the Centre for Women’s Health.
What next?
The young women are now taking some time to reflect on and document all that they have learned over just over a years work on the project.
Well that’s just about it from me. But first I would like to thank the women and community of Campbelltown, the Centre and my colleagues, and especially the inspiring group of young women I have worked with on the Enterprise project. You have confirmed all of my stereotypes about young women who are parents… that they are hardworking, caring, good women who try to do their best to make a good life for themselves and those they care about - especially their children.
Congratulations to you all and I wish you all the best in getting on with your plans to….
Get a drivers licence
Become a florist
Start a cleaning business
Get married and have more kids
Write a business plan for and establish a bistro
And whatever else you dream up, decide on and put your minds to.
▪ Sonia Hoffmann, YWWAP Enterprise project Coordinator.

Young Women Who are Parents (YWWAP)
Enterprise Project

Update on the