Brewing Futures Mobile CAFE (Coaching Ability For Employment) came from the District’s successful high school cafes - the Wildcat Cafe at Oshkosh West and the Spartan Snack Shack at Oshkosh North. These in-school cafes provide on-the-job training for over 100 students per year in various skills such as customer service, communication, order preparation, team building, cashiering, money handling, stocking, phone orders, and delivery to customers. Based on the in-school cafe success, and with the aid of a federal grant, the District purchased the mobile cafe - a customized and fully accessible food truck - with the goal of creating a continuum of service from the cafes to the community. The food truck takes student learning in our community and elevates engagement to the next level ensuring that all students are equipped and feel empowered for their futures beyond high school. Additionally, in an effort to expand its outreach programs, the District intends to use the food truck to enhance its long-standing partnerships with various organizations.
"We are so excited to bring this one-of-a-kind learning experience to our students and community,” said Linda Pierron, Oshkosh Area School District Director of Special Education. “The goal of our program is to teach our students employment and "soft skills" and ultimately demonstrate to the community what great employees they can become! Unfortunately, preconceptions are often the major barrier to employment for people with disabilities. This food truck is one way we can show our community that our students are incredible and can be an incredible asset to any business.”
The Brewing Futures Mobile CAFE debuted in the summer of 2022 at a variety of community events and local businesses. The menu is flexible, catering to the requests of the event. As part of the learning experience, students will be responsible for creating a menu, pricing, loading, unloading, venue setup and take down for each event with the assistance of peers and transition team members.
“We know that being employed and having a sense of accountability and responsibility is positively life-changing. This exciting project demonstrates our commitment and investment in connecting our students with special needs to their community, securing jobs, and being gainfully employed,” said Pierron.
