Old Skool Café is a restaurant with a significantly redemptive impact on the youth culture of San Francisco. It is a jazz club/restaurant in the city of San Francisco that employs at-risk youth ages 16-22 in all aspects of the business. Their aim as a program is to break the cycle of poverty, violence, and incarceration that plagues the community. They employ youth in positions such as hosts, servers, chefs, and entertainers to help them maintain employment and become successful in all aspects of their life.

Employment for youth at Old Skool Café has three major phases. The first phase is the pre-employment phase. This phase is a 12 week intensive skill training that provides training for long term success in the marketplace. The program is free, and those in training are paid for completing the program at the end. The second phase is the employment phase. In this phase, after the pre-employment program they are encouraged to work at Old Skool, but not required to do so. The third phase is the leadership phase. In this phase, the youth employed build their leadership and management skills to ensure success after they graduate from the employment program at age 22.

To increase their redemptive impact on the lives and culture of the youth that they are committed to, Old Skool has partnered with other non-profits and for profits. Companies such as Airbnb, Dolby, and Dayspring technologies fill this list to offer field trips, externships, and possible employment opportunities to students/employees of Old Skool when they graduate from the employment program. Through all these opportunities, Old Skool Café has had a measurable impact on the youth culture in San Francisco!

Ryan Putnam

View Comments

  • Love this! They have a great strategy for the kids working there. Couldn't help but think of "selflessness" as I read about their training and employment methods.

  • This is awesome! I love how they not only provides jobs, but it also provides the training necessary for success. Giving them these resources only points them upward and gives them so much potential to do something amazing!

Share
Published by
Ryan Putnam

Recent Posts

My Choice

My Choice is a pregnancy center that is essentially the Pro-Life alternative to Planned Parenthood.…

2 months ago

Brio Magazine

Brio Magazine is a Christian magazine for teen girls from middle to high school age.…

2 months ago

The History of Charity: Water

Charity: Water is a nonprofit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to those…

2 months ago

The History of Tegu

Tegu is a magnetic wooden block that has been around for centuries. However, it took…

2 months ago

Mindset #3: Prototype Everything

One of the most important business methods I learned this semester in my redemptive entrepreneurship…

2 months ago

Etsy

Etsy In order to have a business that impacts others it is important to make…

2 months ago