Every Tuesday morning, the dining room at Kurri Kurri Bowling Club is filled with laughter, chatter and the wafting smell of freshly made coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
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Aged care residents from Kurri Masonic Village enjoy their beverages with lamingtons and cakes.
While this may sound like any morning tea, the event is planned and delivered by local students from Kurri High School.
Culinary Creations at Kurri Kurri is a local project run by non-profit organisation JobQuest that empowers young people to develop skills for further education and employment.
The Year 9, 10 and 11 students take the lead in organising every aspect of the event each week for their elderly guests, and staff from JobQuest facilitate the project on-site at the club to support the students.
The students set up the venue, take orders for beverages, and offer their guests cakes and biscuits then afterwards the young people mingle with the residents and might engage in a game of bingo or indoor bowls.
JobQuest youth programs coordinator Andrew Tipping said the program offers the student great work experience, while supporting the community at the same time.
“This program represents an opportunity for the young people involved to step up and play a positive role in the community,” Mr Tipping said.
The Masonic Village residents thoroughly enjoy the program too, as a chance to have an outing and to socialise with one another and the students.
The training is subsidised by the NSW Government, and the students are recognised for their contribution by receiving a nationally recognised statement of attainment to add to their resume.
Kurri Kurri Bowling Club manager Victor Dobing was keen to support young people in the local community, and believes this is a great opportunity for the students.
“The skills the students are getting are transferrable to many industries,” Mr Dobing said.
“Hospitality could be an option for them in the future with local employers that could lead to many exciting opportunities.”