Big Yes for awardwinning scheme turning young offenders into aspiring chefs
Paul Carberry hopes new project will change attitudes to former inmates
Recently, one of our most popular fundraisers was recognised with two wins at the Scottish Events Awards. Yes Chef! sees young men we work with spend 12 weeks training in kitchens before being centre stage at a high-profile event and moving into careers in hospitality.
As well as winning Charity Event of the Year, it also took home the chairman’s award. Chair of the judging panel, Damian Clarke, said of the event: “A totally unique entry and one which deserves much recognition.
“Yes Chef! is a great example of a cause-related campaign which provides a genuine solution to a growing societal problem, helping young offenders change their lives forever and turning what was a negative time in their lives into a real positive.”
Yes Chef! is delivered by our Movingonproject,whichworkswith young people recently liberated from short-term prison sentences to help rehabilitate them back into their local communities.
Staff support the young men to find accommodation upon their release and access benefits as well as assisting with finding employment and training or to reengage with education. Working across four local authorities, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Ayrshire and the Highlands, it has resulted in more than 80 per cent of the people supported not returning to prison.
The service’s programme of activities also includes a cooking course,