Scarf Shop Become a Scarf Trainee Become a Scarf Mentor
At Scarf, we run a range of hands-on hospitality and job-readiness programs for young people seeking protection and those from refugee or migrant backgrounds who are facing barriers to employment. Find out more. Read more
Scarf provides training, mentoring and paid work experience opportunities to young people (18-28 years) seeking protection, and those from refugee or migrant backgrounds facing barriers to work. Find out more. Read more
Welcome to the Scarf Shop! Profits from online sales help fund programs and provide life-changing experiences for our participants. Read more
At Scarf, we transform the lives of young people seeking protection, and those from refugee and migrant backgrounds, by getting them into work while adding flavour and heart to the Melbourne hospitality industry. Whilst volunteering with the refugee community in 2009 - 2010, Scarf co-founders Hannah Colman and Jess Moran observed firsthand how hard it can be for newly arrived young people to find jobs, despite having a great attitude and a willingness to take on anything!
Scarf has impacted over 300 young lives since we began running programs in 2010. Watch our videos to hear directly from graduates.
Vision: A society which embraces diversity, celebrates connected communities, and has equitable employment opportunities for all. Mission: To create a nourishing, supportive and inclusive space for trainees to gain confidence, skills, knowledge and networks. To foster connections in the hospitality industry to create equitable employment opportunities.
The below statistics are current at 06 December 2022
total programs3 x Skill Up with Scarf Programs6 x Tasting Plate Programs27 x 10-week Seasonal Programs
total graduates27 x Skill Up with Scarf graduates87 x Tasting Plate graduates187 x 10-week Seasonal Program graduates
Scarf Dinners & events This includes 253 Scarf Dinners and four Do More Than Dine fundraising events.
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hours of wellbeing and job readiness supportThrough our trauma-informed framework, we provide individualised support to trainees and graduates with a focus on wellbeing and boosting job readiness.
hours of paid work experienceWe pay Scarf trainees and graduates Restaurant Industry Award wages for their work with us, and provide professional references.*
partner restaurantsWe're so grateful to the Melbourne restaurants who've supported us by hosting Scarf Dinners - we literally couldn't do it without them!
mentors & trainersHospitality professionals volunteer to provide awesome, industry-standard training and mentoring to participants, who consistently rate the mentoring support as key to building their confidence.
diners servedScarf diners are essential to our model, creating a real-world restaurant experience for trainees, and financially supporting our social enterprise.
*Lack of recent work experience and local references are consistently identified as two of the most significant barriers to employment for newly arrived refugees, migrants and people seeking protection.
Hear from more Scarf graduates.
With support from the Melbourne Women's Fund, we're excited to be running a special short-course for young women from protection-seeking, refugee and migrant backgrounds in 2020. Read more
Current restaurant restrictions mean Scarf Dinners are on hold for the foreseeable future. So, during this time, we're encouraging our regular diners (and new supporters!) to 'Stay Home with Scarf'. Read more
Scarf has just become the auspice organisation for CoVid-19 Employee Assistance Directive, a new not-for-profit feeding Melbourne hospo workers who've been left jobless. Read more