September 2011

BOB is Involved with some Great Local Businesses

As you may know, BOB’s mandate is to support an economic development model for Vancouver’s inner-city that is inclusive of existing residents and businesses. This is no small task, so we try to take a comprehensive approach. We work with entrepreneurs to help them get loans and grants to start their businesses. We work with business owners to provide HR services that support hiring people who are from the inner-city and have challenges to find and keep employment. We work with jobseekers to connect them to the opportunities we post. And we work with new employees to give them the practical support they need to keep their job and succeed.

We believe that this two pronged approach – working with businesses and residents – is key to creating new opportunities in the inner-city economy that help build community and social capital. A great example of the success of this model is the newly opened W2 Media Café in the Woodwards Building.

The BOB Loans program provided a portion of the start-up funding for the café. This funding complemented the countless hours of hard work W2 management and volunteers put in since 2002 to make their vision of a socially inclusive media arts and culture centre in the DTES become a reality.

W2 hired all local DTES and East Van residents to staff the café. They posted positions through their networks and through BOB’s JobPostings service. BOB’s BusinessLinks program assisted the W2 team with interviewing and candidate selection, and also sponsored barista training for 12 folks to get FoodSafe certification, customer service training, a programming overview of the media cafe, and more. Some of the successful candidates also received further support through our Supported Employment Program, getting the bus tickets and food vouchers they needed to make it to their first paycheck, and the life skills support and resources they needed to help them adjust to life on the job.

BusinessLinks Barista Training - Photo courtesy Sakura Yoshita & W2 Media Cafe

Cafe staff are now getting great opportunities to build skills and pursue activities beyond the cafe counter; several of our BusinessLinks graduates enthusiastically report getting involved with event co-ordination, volunteer coordination and program development for projects like the W2 Letterpress Studio and kids & youth media camp.

We congratulate W2 on the great job they have done building a fantastic social enterprise and inclusive community resource centre from the ground up.

Did You Know…

Did you know that the BOB Loans Program has supported the start-up of several other local businesses you may have noticed? These include the reopening of Save-on-Meats at their iconic 43 West Hastings storefront, Scent of a Sandwich (opening soon at 418 Main), Calabash at 428 Carrall St, and Yogiberry at 306 Carrall St.

Andrew and Lani at Save-on-Meats. Lani's coffee is by W2 Media Cafe.

New Job Postings

Visit www.bobics.org and look under ‘HR Services’ to apply.

Intakes for the Cycleback Bicycle Repair Program are on-going. Contact Lani at lani.johnson@bobics.org to book an appointment.

W2 Media Café
Senior Barista
Cook

Recycling Alternative
Recycling Sorter/Tote Washer

Events
SHINE Supper – September 19th
All past and present clients of BOB’s Supported Employment Program are welcome to join us for dinner at the BOB office from 4-6pm! Catered meal by Potluck Cafe. RSVP to 778-328-7660 or emily.smith@bobics.org

Doris from SOLEfood

Sitting on the street, sipping my iced americano at Columbia and Pender, I saw a beautiful sight.  Gorgeous Dalias being delivered by bicycle!  Doris from our local urban farm called SOLEfood, is taking flowers to Olla Urban Flower Project by my favorite sustainable mode of transportation.

SOLEfood Urban Farm is located at Hawks and Hastings in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.  They produce local food and employ local residents, bringing fresh food to a colorful neighborhood.  You can buy their produce at the Main Street Station Farmers Market on Wednesdays at 3-7pm.

Olla Urban Flower Project is a socially responsible business selling beautiful flowers in Gastown at 235 Cambie Street.  She sources all her flowers locally,  intends to hire residents from the neighborhood and is working towards zero waste.  Megan Branson, who started the business, is graduate from the Embers Build a Business Program.

Dalias enroute to Olla

That’s right, the much anticipated W2 Media Cafe is open for business! They’re serving yummy Saltspring coffee and a variety of other delicious offerings. Come for the food & drink, stay for the community, politics, media and art!

The media cafe is collectively run social enterprise with a mandate to provide accessible technology for media and communications to all those to all those who need it. And that need is a pressing one: according to W2′s statistics, at least 6,000 DTES residents are without telephone, internet, or computer access. We see this in BOB’s Supported Employment Program, where many of our clients describe having no phone or computer at home, and get only limited access to communications technology through inner-city community resources that are often very busy and only open during standard business hours; many see this lack of access to technology as an obstacle to achieving their goals in life and on the job. It can also make it hard to find a job, secure permanent housing, and assert one’s voice to advocate for political change.

Fojan, an acting student, is making delicious coffee and helping with W2 programming

In terms of community, W2 hired all local DTES and East Van residents to staff the cafe. BOB’s BusinessLinks program assisted the W2 team with with hiring outreach and candidate selection, and sponsored barista training for 12 folks to get FoodSafe certification, customer service training, a programming overview of the media cafe, and more. Cafe staff are getting great opportunities to build skills and pursue activities beyond the cafe counter; several of our BusinessLinks graduates enthusiastically report getting involved with event coordination and program development for projects like the W2 Letterpress Studio and kids & youth media camp.

Debbie is a mother of 3 made temporarily homeless by unwanted apartment renovations in East Vancouver. She plays goalie for the DTES Women’s Street Soccer team and is going to Paris to play in the 2011 Homeless World Cup. She and her family are now well housed. She cites her employment at the cafe, as well as the community she connected with there, as a key part of her return to housing stability. Congratulations Debbie!

Tech geeks, artists, and anyone interested in DIY electronics will appreciate the interactive light display largely DIY’d by W2′s Tech Director WillStacey. You control the interface from within the cafe. Adjust the display pattern and the RGB scale, and look up to see the results! More exciting interactive art and technology installations to come through their Media Artist in Residence Program. Sensitive to the needs of the neighborhood, the cafe also provides free community meeting space, publicly accessible washrooms and lounge, a community media lab, and much more.

BOB is pleased to be part of supporting the start-up of W2 Media Cafe through our Loans Program. We congratulate all the founders and staff on the cafe opening, and look forward to seeing more great things come out of this ambitious project founded on grassroots principles of social inclusion. Well done!

Pathways was full of enthusiastic jobseekers

Congrats to Pathways for putting together another excellent Job Fair and Expo! This year’s expo did a great job showcasing socially responsible employers, promoting local hiring, and providing job opportunities for inner-city residents.

The theme of this year’s expo was the 100 Hired Challenge, where a number of local agencies partnered to challenge employers to put forward job opportunities with the goal of hiring 100 inner city residents.

Louise from Recycling Alternative

A variety of employers large and small took the challenge and presented job opportunities at the Expo:

• Spirit Builders
• Scent of a Sandwich
• Fortis BC
• TD Canada Trust
• EMBERS Staffing Solutions
• Recycling Alternative
• STEP BC

Debbie in her mobile salon

BOB’s Job Developer Andrew Bryson was at the Expo and reported that there was a great turn out, with most people bringing targeted resumes for the employers that were in attendance.

Thank you to Working Gear, who were open special hours during the expo to outfit people with interview clothes. Thanks also to Debbie from Colourbox, who donated her time and expertise to give professional haircuts to interview candidates. Thanks their help, jobseekers were able to look and feel their best for the interview!

Thomas from Scent of a Sandwich

The initial feedback from employers and jobseekers is very positive. It sounds like several people were invited to attend second interviews back at company offices, and some jobseekers were hired on the spot and start trial shifts in the near future. BOB is pleased to report that clients of ours were hired at Recycling Alternative, Scent of a Sandwich, and Impark!

TD Bank and Fortis BC

The Expo was also a great opportunity to bring attention to the idea of local hiring. We hope that the positive outcomes from this event will encourage all employers to look to the vibrant community of skilled, dedicated, and enthusiastic workers that we have here in the inner-city the next time they need to hire.

Thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, agencies, employers, and job seekers who made this event a community effort and a great success!

All photos courtesy of Carol Madsen at Pathways.

Welcome to Pathways! Photo courtesy Pathways Information Centre

Looking for work? Interested in local hiring? The Pathways Expo and Job Fair is coming up this Thursday June 16th!

Pathways is partnering with a number of local agencies to present the theme of this years’ expo: the 100 Hired Challenge. Partners include ACCESS, YouthSpot, NewStart, BOB, and BladeRunners. Together we are challenging employers to put forward job opportunities and hire 100 inner city residents.

Are you a job seeker? Bring your resume and meet with employers interested in hiring local people. This is a great networking opportunity, and you may be asked to return for an interview in the afternoon!

Are you an employer? Contact Ray or Chelsea at Pathways to sign up your business and offer employment opportunities (604-682-7353). You are also welcome to attend as a visitor to network with other businesses and find out more about how to support your community by hiring locally.

Thank you to the following businesses and social enterprises who are taking the challenge and are offering employment opportunities to inner city residents at the Job Fair:

• Impark
• EMBERS Staffing Solutions
• Spirit Builders
• FORTIS BC
• Scent of a Sandwich
• Recycling Alternative

Event Details:

Thursday June 16th, 2011

10am-12pm: meet with employers hiring local people

1pm-3pm: Your chance to return for onsite interviews with employers

Pathways Information Centre

390 Main St (at Hastings St.)

Pathways

Jobseekers: bring your resume, dress to impress, and be ready for a potential interview onsite!