Food has the power to bring us into community and community changes our lives.
Workforce is a program that provides paid work experience in culinary arts, urban agriculture, and hospitality that integrates social connection and human development to create a healing path toward steady employment and economic mobility.
Our Current Workforce Team
Meet Mattie, Royalty, Lydia, Angel, Berta, Derrick, Evan, Ever, and Kylie who have been working hard learning how to prepare and cook food for our Food Center and our Café!
What we do:
Our Approach to Workforce Prioritizes…
Training on the Clock
Participants progress through a 10-month culinary skills program in kitchen safety, sanitation, food preparation, menu development, kitchen management and customer service
Training evaluation begins with food center meal production, progresses on to catering events, and concludes with a five-course farm to table event
Personal Development
In the first six months of the program, approximately one third of the trainee’s hours are directed toward personal development
They spend time in one-on-one Coaching and Case Management with members of Kinship’s Stride team as well as participate in healing circles, career development, financial literacy, and digital literacy training
Healing on the Clock
One-on-one coaching and therapeutic group work remain throughout the entire 12 months
Kinship continues to develop partnerships to strengthen its therapeutic workforce model
Key areas of development include clinical counseling partners, career education and training partners, employment internships, and post-graduation employment partners.
We are so thankful for the many partnership that make this program possible;
MKE Grind, Jobswork MKE, BMO Harris Bank
Past Workforce trainees
Program Impact
Our Workforce program focuses on individuals from our Kinship community and strives to uplift them out of persistent social isolation, generational poverty, and complex trauma through trust-based relationships built in community.
Workforce Development Manager
Demonte has more than 15 years of experience in social services, including mental health and program management and development.
“Being a part of Kinship allows me to show up authentically for myself and my community.”
In addition, Demonte is the creator and host of a podcast advocating for equity for the global majority.
HOW to get involved
