Life after Breadwinners - what happens next?
Have you ever wondered what happens after Breadwinners? This piece gives you an insight to life after Breadwinners, what our young people do next and the impact Breadwinners has on the lives of these young refugees and people seeking asylum. We spoke to Programmes Manager, Charlotte Gallagher, and two of our Breadwinners, Khalid and Alex, about their journey.
Khalid joined us as a Riser in January 2021 and then went on to work as a Breadwinner. He was the Market Manager at Camberwell Green and worked directly with our bakery partners Celtic Bakers. We were thrilled to hear that he is now working as a Facilities Services Assistant at a local London hospital. Khalid shared what the Breadwinners experience has been like with us:
‘My overall experience at Breadwinners has been fantastic. I am proud to work with the Breadwinners' team, full of ambitious people who continue to deliver excellent results. I have learned a lot from your wealth of experience, more than you will ever know.
I couldn’t have achieved great success without your support and help. I sincerely appreciate Breadwinners' help with getting the new job.’
Khalid, Breadwinner
Khalid also told us that it was a ‘great moment when I was being interviewed to become Market Manager’. He told us that the interview was worrying (no surprise there!), but he was ‘happy because it was going to be my first official job getting paid’.
A huge congratulations to Khalid on his new role! I asked Programmes Manager, Charlotte, how it felt to see our young people like Khalid move on. ‘There is a huge element of pride to see Breadwinners and Proofers progress, as there are often many unique and personal obstacles that can take strength and resilience to overcome; it's fantastic to see all the hard work and perseverance rewarded. There is a bittersweet moment as it is such a joy working with them - ultimately the best part of my job!’
Speaking with Charlotte, I realised that part of the unique offering of Breadwinners is its combination of work experience, skills training and paid employment. She told me:
“We offer refugees their first job in the UK so that they can get some experience on their CV, meet new people, continue to practice speaking and writing in English, and be in a leadership position to promote confidence-building and wellbeing.’
Charlotte explains that ‘Refugees have many barriers to accessing the job market’, including a lack of experience working in the UK, communication issues, the difference in the UK job market to a person’s country of origin and individuals lacking networks and opportunities for work. We believe tackling these issues head on is incredibly important in helping our young people move into future roles. Indeed our last impact report revealed that 90% of Breadwinners move into employment after the programme.
“The success and impact of Breadwinners will be different for each individual. For some of the young people that come through the programme, they have grown considerably. Some Breadwinners use the programme as a moment for themselves, where they may have many things going on in their personal lives, Breadwinners can be a moment where they focus on themselves and on their own development.”
I was lucky to speak with another of our ‘graduating class’, Alex. Alex was a Riser in October 2019 and then went on to be a Breadwinner, managing the South Norwood Market Stall. He’s recently got a position with Domino's pizza, taking orders and serving customers via their telephone service. Alex told me he will still be continuing with his studies and hopes for an apprenticeship in the future.
‘I got manager experience’, Alex shared, when I asked him what was so helpful about the Breadwinners programme. ‘I also got a lot of experience with customer communications and got more confident’ which was particularly helpful during his interview. I asked him about any standout moments with Breadwinners and he immediately shared pictures of his graduation and Refugee Week celebrations. He told me these were ‘great moments’ for him. You can see these wonderful moments in the pictures below.
It’s hearing and seeing the success stories like these that makes all the difference to our work. That said, our success stories are not all about getting into employment - it’s also about building well being and developing confidence.
Thinking about Khalid and Alex, Charlotte said they ‘have both shown fantastic commitment to the programme and their drive has been truly inspiring. Their progress really affirms that they can do anything they put their mind to!’ A big congratulations to Alex and Khalid once again and thank you to them for letting us share their stories with you all.
Remember if you’d like to support the young people we work with, the best way to do this is by buying bread. Whether it’s at one of our market stalls across London or via our online shop, your purchases power our programmes and work.