About us
Educafe is a Community Interest Company for the benefit of diverse ethnic communities, other vulnerable adults, young adults and children. It is the official home of the Diverse Ethnic Communities Support Agency for West Berkshire.
We create safe, friendly spaces to eat, learn and make new friends. Educafe is a joint venture between two local businesses: Colline ’s Kitchen www.collineskitchen.com and the Berkshire School of English www.BSOE.co. uk.
Working in partnership with local service providers we embrace different cultures and promote social inclusion, health and wellbeing through events, food, education and language support.
Minority Voices
Individually, our customers, learners and followers, truly represent the minority voices of West Berkshire. Speaking over 26 languages between them and enjoying their own traditions and cultures they are the ‘feet on the street’ of our wider diverse ethnic community. They share common needs and concerns with other minority and marginalised people including feelings of isolation and exclusion from the wider community.
Living in West Berkshire
Our experience shows us that diverse ethnic communities enjoy living in West Berkshire. They have, after all, chosen to live here. Their apparent low visibility and lack of engagement within the wider community and with West Berkshire Council can often be attributed to lack of English language and communication skills. People with little English often feel unable to interact with native speakers and are uncomfortable at social and official events. We know there can also be a cultural fear of engaging with officialdom.
Engagement
Educafe addresses the above barriers through friendly targeted interactions with past and present service users, along with public engagement in the wider community and direct communication with WBC, public and independent service providers. Specifically, this is through small, targeted projects including bespoke English language courses and mobile Community Care Cafes.
Everyone is warmly welcome at our Community Care Cafes
Need
We are currently addressing the need for English language support courses for diverse ethnic communities in West Berkshire to enable them to access public services, and to improve employability and work skills. We are promoting social inclusion through regular pop-up community care cafes and we are proud to celebrate the incredible diversity of West Berkshire through regular community events.
Our funding requirement is made up of different elements so that funders can choose which part of our project they would like to support.
Educafe Job Support Club & ESOL for work
A bespoke 6-week programme for unemployed, non-native speakers looking to start or return to work in West Berkshire.
Newbury, June and July 2021
Content: Partnership Employability Workshops & English for Work
Thank you to the above organisations and Sovereign Housing Association for supporting our Job Support Club
Partnerships
The founders of Educafe have a strong and proven ethos of partnership working. West Berkshire has a multitude of amazing public service and independent service providers, all of which include experts in their fields. Together they support and represent the diversity of needs within our wider community. We aim to facilitate and formalise links between these groups on behalf of and for the benefit of diverse ethnic communities in West Berkshire. This in turn will inform WBC of local need, ensuring that these needs are met.
Please click here to find out more or to partner with us
Educafe is the home of the Diverse Ethnic Communities Support Agency (DECSA) for West Berkshire
Community Survey
Please share our public survey to help us reach the diverse ethnic communitues of West Berkshire.
Please click on the image to take our survey
Get Involved
Please get in touch with us for more information or to get involved.
Colline Watts and Clare Middleton
T: 01635 936211
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