Successful project helps people at risk of social exclusion to return to the labour market and society
How would you describe in your own words the activities of the Restart Shop and how the idea came about?
Restart Shop is a shop with donated goods, inspired by British charity shops. It offers training jobs for people who are struggling with their past. At the Czech Streetwork Association, which represents social services that mainly help children and young people, we perceived a lack of support at a crucial milestone in adolescence - becoming independent and entering the labour market. Young people were often tricked, worked without a contract, did not get paid for their work, etc. If they had such an experience, they were understandably reluctant to go back to work.
So who exactly is the Restart Shop's job training aimed at?
Previously, we worked with young adults who, in addition to having a bad labour market experience, had low qualifications, dropped out of school early, lacked family support and had low financial literacy. Over time, we have removed the age limit and now offer places to everyone regardless of age. In addition to the characteristics already mentioned, our training staff share the characteristic of being homeless, i.e. in a broader sense, having inadequate housing. Often they are people from shelters, halfway houses, where they come from, for example, after leaving a children's home. We have also had staff living on the street. The other thing they have in common is debt and foreclosures. The past they are struggling with may be criminal or addictive, and psychological difficulties, experience of violence and traumas of various kinds are no exception. I have to say that I sincerely admire many of them for the way they overcome their problems and the courage and humility with which they approach life. They teach us to appreciate the little things.
How do you specifically help these people and what do you mean by competence training, individual support and help with finding a new job?
Sometimes it's enough for an employee to confirm that he or she can do the job, gain confidence and strengthen the belief that he or she can handle situations better than before. Such an employee leaves after six months of work, sometimes even sooner. Other times, however, he or she needs to learn the daily rhythm, regularity, communication with the world and people, and then employment with us lasts for over a year. Competence training on the job is complemented by competence in dealing with the authorities, finances, moods and personal life. Together we then choose what kind of work he would like to do and where to direct his energy.
As well as help with work, people can get individual support from you in social, economic and mental health areas, can you give me more details on this?
Most of the time we don't work with the employee alone, we work with social services, shelters, halfway houses, therapists or institutions where people come to address issues such as addiction, mental health, foreclosures or housing. It's very individual. Overall, we support employees in stabilizing their housing, financial, relationship, and physical and mental health situations.
But getting back to work, which is one of the main things people learn in your office, how do you work with clients to find positions where they can apply?
During training we find out what employees are interested in, where their strengths are, where they could succeed, what competencies they have. Then we look for suitable jobs, we approach potential employers, we write letters of recommendation. A criminal record, a resume with gaps due to addiction, homelessness or treatment can be a barrier to applying for a job. We also work on soft skills, communication, self-presentation, trying to give the motivation to not get discouraged, but most importantly the courage to start fresh, to restart.
What is the interest in these candidates?
Not bad, but we would certainly welcome more interest. After completing the training process, 19 out of 25 employees will succeed on the job market. Our employees are loyal and are happy for good work and good relationships in the workplace, and they are certainly motivated. Once they get over the starting difficulties and boulders on their necks like foreclosures, etc., then they put a lot of effort into keeping their jobs. It's a means for them to gain stability and relationships outside the family, for example, in addition to income.
How can people "sign up" for your services?
Most of the time people come to us through referrals from social services. I've also already mentioned that we work in a network, so we work with specialist services, counselling centres, therapists and institutions. People can also come to us from the job centre.
Could you share with me a specific story of a person you have met who has gained better prospects for the future thanks to you?
Right now we currently have a lady who is 43 years old who has been employed for about two months on the open job market. She's been on the streets for ten years, and she's had some drug use. It started innocently enough, a couple of loans. Then someone took out more loans on her papers, defaulted, became a white horse, lost her housing, had jail stays, broken family relationships, lost the ability to raise a child. She herself said that after 10 years she looked around and said to herself, "This can't be possible, it's been 10 years, I don't have a chance to come back." Sobriety and dealing with debts came, and she now lives with her mother, who is ill and is being cared for. She's gradually working on being able to see her child. She still has a long way to go, but she's patient and says she's got her life and priorities in order thanks to the reboot. She's been with us for a year.
I know you are facing a minor problem where your project cannot be classified as social services. Why is that?
We don't meet any of the definitions in the Social Services Act. An activity like ours is not defined in the law as a social service.
Martina Zikmundová is the director of the Czech Association of StreetworkPhoto: Foto: se souhlasem Martiny Zikmundové
But surely it would merit such a classification? Shouldn't something be changed?
I don't think we necessarily have to be a social service, we are a business, we have an income, so we make about 60% of our own money. However, we think that employment training should be supported by the state in a systemic way through the employment office. The latter could help to fund the training jobs and the social worker, whose work is essential to the success of the project. We know that the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is preparing a law on the so-called social integration enterprise. So far, however, the labour agenda has a very weak position in the MLSA. Pensions and benefits clearly lead the way, and the prevention of social exclusion in the form of training jobs unfortunately has neither priority nor deserved attention. We hope that this will change and we are ready to discuss it.
It seems to make sense. After all, you yourself say that 19 out of 25 employees succeeded in the labour market after completing the training process...
That's right, we were surprised by the success rate ourselves. But we have to add that these were 25 employees who went through the training, so they stayed with us long enough. Then there are those who leave after a few days or weeks and who we do not classify as graduates of training jobs.
If I'm not mistaken, there are two Restart Shops today? What is the difference between them?
Yes, we have shops in Prague 1 and Prague 7. It is actually a system of shops, as the sociological analysis we had done showed us. Employees progress from so-called number one, where they start out, working under the supervision of a mentor, to number two, where they are already independent, they run the store themselves, they have more competences and responsibilities. In training, moving to the second store is a big milestone.
What specific work do people do here?
Normal work like in a shop, plus receiving goods from donors. We don't buy goods, we work with what donors give us. Employees then take the goods, sort, price, keep the store clean, communicate with customers, plan seasonal merchandise, events, discounts, online sales, store direction. Employees participate in all this.
In addition to offering jobs to disadvantaged people, Restart Shops also promotes sustainability and recycling, which is also a hot topic today... In what sense?
We work with donated, mostly used goods. What is in the way at home, what you don't use, and what could make someone else happy and useful, you can bring to us. We fix minor defects, improve the goods and resell them. I have to say that we have a network of great donors, thanks to whom we have really nice goods, sometimes even valuable things, for example from estates. We sell valuable items or low-value items on Auction. Of course, we also recycle, sort waste, and donate some items, such as clothes for the homeless, to non-profit organizations.
Are you going to expand your services in the future?
No, we are busy maintaining what we have already built. We need to get continuous financial support, we are thinking about employment policy. We are also targeting private donors. We think our work is paying off. We are making individuals who are recipients of state support into participants in the insurance system who contribute to the system. So the state should use and support projects like ours.
