Every year we have a cohort of 12 trainees (increasing to 15 from September), and we’ll get 90 per cent of them into sustainable paid employment. But the bigger impact is that we get these 12 adults who have been marginalised their whole lives and been told they won’t amount to anything – to feel like they matter and that they do have potential. Our impact comes in many shapes and forms but it’s essentially a massive improvement in their confidence and in their independence that makes them feel like they’re contributing to society.
For example, one of our graduates is completely non-verbal, communicating only one-to-one via an iPad, and her parents thought she’d never have a job. But she came for an interview and I could tell she was understanding everything. She picked up the skills really quickly and within two months, was able to work three coffee stations at once, completely thrashing everyone else. and is basically a powerhouse. She’s now working at a café down the road and the team love her, they value her, and she works on the coffee machine all day. She doesn’t get bored, she’s super energetic and she absolutely loves being busy. Without Fair Shot, she would have just been at home doing very little, and I’m glad we’ve been able to open up her world.