Get Fed Coffee at Ideas Fest

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending Ideas Fest courtesy of Tim Parkhouse from Get Fed Coffee where we also recorded a bonus episode for the 10 Revolutions podcast.

Get Fed gives young people who may be struggling at school or at risk of exploitation, a chance to learn entrepreneurship and barista skills and stay away from the drug gangs. Young people learn about customer service and the ups and downs of working for yourself and in return get a voice in the business and a share of the profits.

I met again with Kenzie who has been with Tim since year 9. He talks about his journey and how his confidence grew with Get Fed.

I also met Matt from Out of the Grind talking about his mobile coffee pop-ups as a vehicle for tackling workplace wellbeing and his goal to create permanent sites where young people can build on the skills developed on Tim's van.

It's very apparent that young people thrive when given agency, challenge and impact. Some of the young people Tim works with only turn up to school on the days they work on the van.

This coupled with around 50% of teens and young adults wanting to start their own business, it's a clear message to schools to place more emphasis on entrepreneurship and less on exam results.

There's a wealth of entrepreneurial possibilities inside the school gates both during school hours and outside of them, which could make schools the heartbeat of the community. A perfect antidote to boredom and loneliness. We hear more about Tim's ideas on this in the original podcast episode.

And what more to like than a sunny day in a field and bundle of ambition and optimism!

#YouthEnterprise #SocialImpact #Employability #Entrepreneurship #Oxfordshire #FutureOfWork #YoungPeople

This article was written by Mark A King. You can follow him here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkingbravo/