Award-winning Youth Training Scheme Opens
Freezin' fun, social solutions and more have come to the Castlecourt Shopping Centre in Belfast with the weekend opening of Ben & Jerry's second PartnerShop in Northern Ireland.
Ben & Jerry's PartnerShops are scoop shop franchises with a big difference. The second of its kind in Northern Ireland (and outside of the US,) the PartnerShop is operated by local social entrepreneurs, Cresco Trust and will offer a unique training programme to get local long term unemployed back into employment.
This exciting social and economic regeneration was piloted by Cresco Trust in Derry through the local Council's Local Strategy Partnership under the EU Peace II programme, through the ambitious Intermediate Labour Market pilot scheme. The 16-month old pilot has already been singled out by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) as an inspirational social enterprise model, and has also been recognised through an 2005 Award for Innovation.
The Cresco Partnershop will provide opportunities for disadvantaged people from all sectors of the community get back into employment in an area which has experienced high levels of violence and social exclusion. It will take the opportunity arising from the peace process to further develop a neutral working environment.
Ben & Jerry's first launched the PartnerShop programme sixteen years ago and currently has fourteen stores operational in the US. PartnerShops are run by charities to help those who may not otherwise have been able to secure employment, get that first foothold on the job ladder. Thousands of disadvantaged people have been helped in the US … and the effects are literally life-changing - within the Juma Ventures PartnerShop network in San Francisco, 8 out of 10 of trainees were still in employment one year later.
As Ben Cohen, the company's co-founder said:
'If we can sell ice cream in a way where non-profit organisations, that are working to solve social problems, get the profits and train the people they're working with at the same time, then that's a win, win, win situation!'
Ben & Jerry's Retail Operations Manager, Mark Stewart-Maunder (who's been overseeing the launch) says:
"Our co-founder, Ben Cohen once said that business has a responsibility to give back to the community and Ben & Jerry's has lived by those words ever since. Our PartnerShop initiative is part of this philosophy and has helped thousands of youths get back into employment since it launched in the US in 1985. This is a long term commitment by Ben & Jerry's to help make a difference in Belfast."
Cresco Trust Chairman, Stephen Kelly, says:
"When Cresco found out about Ben & Jerry's Partnershop scheme last year - we knew this would be the ideal vehicle for offering training and support to get unemployed kids from both sides of the community in Belfast back into employment - it really makes a big difference. This is exciting for Cresco, exciting for our trainees and exciting for Belfast!"
For more information delve into www.benjerry.co.uk /partnershops
For further information/visuals/interviews contact: Lynne Briggs @ Cresco Trust, Tel: 028 7126 9400
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