The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has partnered with the nonprofit FareStart to provide food and hospitality service training to young people at Echo Glen Children’s Center.
Through this pilot program, young people work alongside FareStart staff to learn barista skills, customer service, and culinary training. Young people learn about communication, teamwork, self-advocacy, time management, and problem-solving throughout the training. Participants practice writing resumes and job interviews to prepare them for career pathways and remove barriers to employment.
“The program empowers young people in juvenile rehabilitation to work hard, plan for their future, and return to their communities with the skills to succeed,” said Echo Glen Superintendent Dan White.
Echo Glen opened its kitchen and espresso bar for teaching purposes earlier this year thanks to the partnership with FareStart, which provided programming and staff. Over a dozen young people have participated in the ten-week pilot program since February. DCYF and FareStart celebrated the program with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 25.
FareStart is a nonprofit social enterprise focused on job training and employment. They use food as a tool to transform lives, disrupt poverty, and nourish communities.
Echo Glen Children’s Center, in Snoqualmie, is a medium/maximum-security facility that provides education, vocational training, and treatment programs for substance use, behavioral health, and mental health to males and females sentenced to juvenile rehabilitation.