While we’re one week away from SCAA and the USBC, here’s something to take your mind off of practice for you competitors or the last minute details to take care of before you leave for Anaheim for other travelers. It’s a cool story out of New Orleans about a program for at-risk youth that trains them to be baristas while also encouraging them to finish their education.
From the story:
The Alpha Coffee Shop, which opened last November, is more than a java hut. It offers employees a service leadership program aimed at helping troubled youth get their lives on track.
According to program manager Carla Briggs, the shop trains individuals ages 18 to 23 to become baristas. But at the same time, the service leadership program teaches them to tap into their potential.
“We help them fulfill whatever personal goals they may have, ” she said. “We’ll partner with other organizations to help our students achieve their goals. One of our workers is working to get his GED.”
The story goes on to say that Friday, April 16, (the day after Tax Day and the start of the USBC) Alpha Coffee Shop is hosting a coffee/cake pairing as a fundraiser for the program, so if you can’t make it to Anaheim, and you’re somewhere near the Big Easy, I’d recommend you check it out.
