Imagine starting your morning with a warm cup of coffee or tea, served to you by students, right from your own campus. We have come up with the idea to create a student-run coffee cart, called White Tiger Cafe. White Tiger Cafe offers a warm beverage to teachers and staff while providing students with an opportunity to collaborate and develop career readiness skills.

Reflecting on Your Teen Years

Think back to your teenage years. Did you have a clear understanding of the skills necessary for success? Were you a good communicator? Were you able to collaborate effectively with a diverse range of individuals? Lastly, did you possess work-related skills that would enable you to thrive after graduation? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, would you have wanted to acquire those skills before graduating?

These reflections have inspired me to consider how I can help my students become life-ready as they transition out of school. As a special education teacher, I am continually seeking opportunities to equip my students with essential skills for life beyond the classroom. Together, we brainstormed a list of potential projects and settled on the idea of establishing a coffee cart within our school.

The mission behind White Tiger Cafe is to provide students with essential life skills in a realistic setting. 

As a teacher co-teaching a Personal Finance class, I've observed that many students lack a solid understanding of money management, including making change. The idea of starting a coffee cart was inspired by an article about a similar initiative in a Cleveland, Ohio school. My students and I felt this would be a valuable opportunity for our school community. 

Our primary goals for White Tiger Cafe:

•  to acquire job-ready skills

• enhance money management, 

• improve knowledge of personal finance, communicate and collaborate effectively with a variety of people

• Positive interactions with community, and 

• improve social interactions. 

By running the cafe, students will take on responsibilities such as:

• Taking orders

• preparing food

• counting money, and providing correct change, 

• all while learning to interact with various customers. 

This hands-on experience is designed to deepen students' understanding of money while also building crucial social and career skills. I am excited to see how our students grow through this initiative.

With approval and full support from our school, we embarked on the journey to fund our coffee cart. I received an email about a funding opportunity from Partners for Youth Grassroots Grant of Lexington. Every year, this organization awards money to programs in Fayette County that provide positive youth programming opportunities for under-served populations. 

Exciting Developments in Our Coffee Cart Project

As we awaited news about our grant application, our students diligently engaged in the preparation of various aspects of our coffee cart initiative. In our Money Skills class, students dove into the essential skills of planning and budgeting for a successful coffee cart operation.

They didn’t just learn the money side; they also explored the behind-the-scenes preparation necessary to run a thriving coffee cart. Their hands-on experience included crafting a business plan that covers:

• Market Opportunity Evaluation: Understanding the demand and potential customers.

• Development and Production Description: Outlining how the coffee cart will be created and managed.

• Sales and Marketing Strategies: Identifying effective ways to promote and sell our products.

• Management and Operations: Planning the daily running of the coffee cart.

• Financials: Analyzing costs and potential profits.

This project not only equipped our students with practical skills but also empowered them to take ownership of running their school coffee cart. 

In our Cooking/Life Skills class we focused on mastering portion control, exploring various types of coffee, and discovering the perfect drinks to feature on a coffee cart. They also learned how to keep costs down by creating their own creamers and coffee syrups. Together, these classes fostered essential skills that blend entrepreneurship with culinary creativity.

Exciting News: Funding for Our Coffee Cart Project!

After months of anticipation following our grant application, we were thrilled to hear that our coffee cart project was awarded The Grassroots Grant! This generous funding of $2,800 will provide us with the essential supplies needed to launch our coffee cart. For the remainder of this school year we will be running a prototype coffee cart.ext school year, we plan on being fully functioning and ready to go. We can't wait to bring this project to life and serve our community!

Partnerships: 

The White Tiger Cafe has generated the interest and support from several teachers and administrators at my school. There are several colleagues of mine and admin who have offered to help with this program. Many have come up with ideas/suggestions that will help this program be a success. We also have Mr. Brewster, a community member who runs a coffee shop with individuals with disabilities who is willing to give advice and help when they're available. We also have community partners such as UK 4H, and Unified Champions. We are excited that our latest partnership could possibly be with the Fayette County Schools Job Training Program! This collaboration will provide our students with valuable job readiness skills, preparing them for future employment opportunities. Together, we are committed to ensuring our students are equipped with the essential skills needed to succeed in the workforce. 

The Program’s Final Thought:

Our mission is to empower individuals, with or without disabilities, by equipping them with essential job readiness skills. We aim to teach practical concepts related to money management and the understanding of running a business, from finances to the ordering and preparation of products. Our café provides an engaging environment that emphasizes the development of communication and social skills, allowing students to develop their interpersonal abilities. Through this all-encompassing approach, we strive not only to prepare students for the workplace but also to foster valuable relationships and skills that will benefit them in all areas of life.