Volunteer role helps Max remember his value

When Max* began volunteering at Ignite Café, he had difficulty holding a conversation, and lacked the skills and confidence he needed to find work. 

Jesuit Social Services’ Ignite Café – a not-for-profit café in Camberwell, Melbourne – is more than just a place for volunteers like Max to practise their employability skills, Café Manager Thea says. 

“Ignite is a place where people who may feel disengaged and disconnected from life and community have a chance to recognise themselves as having a place in society, having value.” 

Thea says that Max has become one of Ignite’s strongest volunteers.

“Not only has he built the skills he needs for work, but he’s developed a desire to become more independent and engage more with life outside his family home. Now he’s bantering with team members and customers, and he has stories to share around the dinner table. He’s found a sense of purpose and pride and he’s able to relate more to other people.” 

Ignite Café is the setting for Jesuit Community College’s accredited Café Operations course, which Max completed before deciding to become a volunteer. Thea says there are lots of reasons why a person might volunteer with Ignite, but for Max volunteering was a way to deepen the skills he first learned in the Café Operations course. 

“We’re basically a living classroom. We support participants with whatever it is they want to learn, and volunteers are free to choose how they want to engage. 

“One of our other volunteers is a woman who has been with us for a few years. When she started, we noticed she was terrified of doing any of the service aspects aside from being on the till and the dishes. We supported her with a lot of one-on-one help which helped build her confidence.

Not only is she now able to make food and coffees, but she’s applied those skills to her home life, cooking meals for herself and her family,” Thea says. 

Ignite’s priority is nurturing participants and volunteers. Staff and trainers have a strong background in hospitality and share the ethos of creating a welcoming and inclusive space for community. 

“Some of us have experiences working in toxic hospitality environments and so we set out to make Ignite a place where everyone can feel safe to learn and belong – whether that’s participants and volunteers, staff, or the wider community.” 

Ignite’s volunteer program runs for six months. Volunteers are checked in on a regular basis to see if they wish to be connected to employment services or training programs.

“We’re supporting Max to look for work right now,” says Thea.

“We know he’s ready. Since starting he’s built the confidence to be able to deal with feedback without catastrophising, and the self-esteem and resilience to keep trying when he gets knocked back from a job application.  

“Max knows we’ll always be here to support and encourage him to keep going.”

*Name changed to protect identity