Scarf is a not-for-profit social enterprise which transforms lives through hospitality. Since 2010, we’ve been running hands-on hospitality training, mentoring and paid work experience programs in Melbourne restaurants. We work closely with the community sector and the hospitality industry to make employment more equitable for young people facing barriers to work. Scarf trainees are keen, resilient young people seeking protection, and those from refugee and migrant backgrounds who have little or no work experience in Australia. We’ve partnered with over 100 generous hospitality businesses to transform hundreds of young lives. Scarf Dinners are a positive, supportive environment where participants thrive and gain real-world experience. Scarf graduates are part of a unique learning community and move on to jobs with new-found confidence, skills, knowledge and networks.
Social Impact since 2010
-308 graduates
-92% program retention rate
-19,190 hours of hands-on training
-10,390 hours of paid work experience
-9,090 hours of wellbeing and job readiness support
-265 Scarf Dinners and events in 38 partner restaurants
-$264,950 in trainee wages*
*Restaurant Industry Award wages paid directly to participants
The above statistics are current at 01/07/23
External link for Scarf
Melbourne, AU
We were super lucky to have two superstar Scarf Graduates, Nadia and Naiah, at this week's training! They joined legendary Scarf mentors Gabs (Commis) and Courtney to lead the new Autumn Scarf '25 trainees through the service skills session. Thanks for hosting us Stomping Ground Brewing Co. 🙏 ❤️ Photos: Roger Ungers
Our annual gala fundraising event, 'Do More Than Dine', will run in partnership with The Mulberry Group on Thursday 1st May and tickets are now available! www.domorethandine.org We're running this event to raise essential funds so we can meet the growing demand for Scarf programs. If we can meet our fundraising goal, we'll be able to work with at least 50 trainees in the next year. We're pretty ecstatic about the superstars involved. Here's the drill! Hosting: Your co-hosts will be renowned food journalist and longtime Scarf supporter Dani Valent, and 2014 Scarf graduate Thelma Rutsate (MIHL), whose journey beyond Scarf has included working at Attica and Sofitel on Collins (Accor), and recent completion of her Masters of International Hotel Leadership. Guest chefs: - Rosheen Kaul (ex-Etta, author Chinese-ish) - Helly Raichura (Enter Via Laundry, author The Food of Bharat) - Kyle Nicol (Hazel) - Rosemary Andrews (Mietta by Rosemary) Running the front-of-house will be Scarf graduates and mentors, of course. We'll tell you more about the 'Money-Can't-Buy' live auction soon! It's going to be an epic night. More detail + tickets: www.domorethandine.org Video: Roger Ungers
We're *so close* to reaching the target for our 'Double Double' summer fundraising campaign, which ends tomorrow! Get around it and help us get over the line: https://lnkd.in/gkwmENah We're running the campaign to ensure we can provide 1,200 hours of paid work experience to Scarf trainees in 2025. Thanks to dollar-matching support from our legendary hospo partners Stomping Ground Brewing Co., Mount Zero Olives, Worktones, CoLab Wines, Allpress Espresso and Reed House, we've been able to maximise the value of online donations. And now, our friends from Sage Foundation are not just matching but DOUBLING donations to help get us over the line. Chip in $30 (to cover 1 hour of paid work experience) and the Sage Foundation will donate a further $60, for a total of $90. Donate $120 (covering a whole work experience shift) and it'll become $360. There has literally never been a better time to donate to Scarf! Huge thanks also to Brick Lane Brewing and Four Pillars Gin who've recently made very generous donations to the campaign, which have been instrumental in getting us close to our target. Thank you in advance for helping us transform lives through hospitality.
We’re so grateful to have called Mount Zero Olives a Scarf Partner for close to 14 years! And we're stoked that they're supporting our current 'Double Double' fundraising campaign 🫒 https://lnkd.in/gkwmENah Richard Seymour, Mount Zero’s General Manager, has been involved in so many aspects of the Scarf program, from providing beautiful olives and olive oil for Scarf Dinners and events, donating to fundraising campaigns, hiring Scarf Graduates, and taking part in our ‘real-world’ hospitality interview sessions (pictured). Here’s what Rich has to say about our partnership, and Mount Zero’s current support: “The work of Scarf, to train and connect young people with positions in hospitality, has never been more critical; in both the need to help our newly-arrived communities and the desperate need to fill positions in hospitality venues. We’re very proud to be a Scarf partner and thrilled to contribute to this campaign so that donations can be doubled!” Donate today to see your contribution magically doubled thanks to Mount Zero! 🪄
We can’t wait to meet the next group of Scarf trainees, who are destined to be hospo superstars! Trainee applications for our next 10-week Seasonal Program, Autumn Scarf ‘25, are now open. Full details: https://lnkd.in/gwZscJiG Photo: Winter Scarf ‘24 group at Stomping Ground Brewing Co. taken by Roger Ungers.
There’s never been a better time to support Scarf! The legends at Allpress Espresso are doubling the next $1,500 of donations to our DOUBLE DOUBLE campaign. https://lnkd.in/gkwmENah Allpress have become a valuable work experience partner in the past year and we’re so grateful for their all-round support! Find out more and donate today to create more awesome job opportunities for Scarf trainees, via the ‘DOUBLE DOUBLE’ link above. Big thanks to our campaign partners, who are helping people make DOUBLE the impact through their donations. 🙏🏾♥️ Worktones Stomping Ground Brewing Co. Mount Zero Olives Reed House CoLab Wines Allpress Espresso
“The work experience part was great as it helped me get the skill set needed in a hospitality job, instead of only the theory.” Winter Scarf ‘24 graduate Rose has been working at Garden State Hotel for close to six months after taking part in paid work experience there as part of the Scarf program. Hear more from Rose in our latest newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gfDswC2R Make a donation to support our 2025 paid work experience program: https://lnkd.in/gkwmENah Photo: Roger Ungers
Introducing Scarf's newest board member, Sarah Agboola. We first met Sarah at a Scarf Dinner at Garden State Hotel way back in 2019*, and were inspired by her dedication to creating meaningful employment opportunities for women who were new or returning to the workforce via her for-purpose enterprise, mtime. An accomplished entrepreneur and leader, Sarah brings a wealth of experience and energy to the Scarf board. Recognised in Forbes Australia 30 Under 30, and named as Women's Agenda's Small Business Leader of the Year in 2022, Sarah has also made a significant impact in the community sector, building a volunteer platform that reached thousands of young people daily and co-founding leadership programs for women of colour. Head here to find out more about Sarah, and the whole Scarf Board: https://lnkd.in/gYJWawsC We'll be introducing you to two more new board members very soon! *See slide 3! High fives to One Roof for organising this epic Female Founders event which connected us with Sarah (and a host of other incredible women).
As 2024 draws to a close, we want to wish everyone in the Scarf Community a happy, safe, and connected start to 2025 💫 We've got a big year planned, and if you're able to throw a few bucks at our 'Double Double' summer fundraising campaign, we'll put it to very good use! Find out more and donate now if you can! https://lnkd.in/gkwmENah All funds raised through this campaign will be paid DIRECTLY to Scarf trainees in 2025 when they undertake paid shifts with our wonderful work experience partners, who include Stomping Ground Brewing Co., Starward Whisky, Allpress Espresso, The Mulberry Group (Liminal, Square One Rialto, Dessous), Garden State Hotel and Pullman Melbourne Albert Park. Donations are tax-deductible, and are currently being matched by the legends CoLab Wines, so you can make twice the impact if you donate now. Find out more and donate if you can, via the link in bio. Big ups to our campaign partners Mount Zero Olives, Reed House, Stomping Ground Brewing Co., Allpress Espresso, Worktones and CoLab Wines 🙏🏾
🕔 Time to wrap things up for the year, and we’re super proud of our social impact in 2024. Here’s the low down! In 2024: 🍴Scarf ran 4 programs, offering 38 new trainee positions 🍴35 young people graduated 🍴We achieved a program retention rate of 92% 🍴We delivered 2,128 hours of training and mentoring 🍴We ran 7 Scarf Events, serving 661 diners Scarf Events ran at Rumi Brunswick, Stomping Ground Brewing Co. Collingwood, Starward Whisky Distillery & Bar, and Square One Rialto and Liminal (The Mulberry Group), with contributions from Lilac Wine, Anchovy, Pipis Kiosk, Maker And Monger and Tarts Anon 🍴We coordinated 736 hours of work experience with 11 partners 2024 Work Experience partners were: Starward Whisky, Stomping Ground Brewing Co. - Collingwood and Moorabbin, Pullman Melbourne Albert Park, Tippy-Tay at Garden State Hotel, Liminal, Dessous, Square One Coffee Roasters (The Mulberry Group), Allpress Espresso, Boilermaker House and Studio Amaro (Commune Group). 🍴Scarf trainees and graduates undertook 1,026 hours of paid work experience (at Scarf Events and through work experience partners) 🍴We paid $33,403 in award wages + super to trainees 🍴74% of graduates felt very confident to find employment 🍴100% of graduates would recommend Scarf to others Finally, we want to share one of our fave comments from a 2024 Scarf Graduate: "The Scarf team are some of the most welcoming and supportive people I’ve ever met.” Thank you to EVERYONE who helped make this possible 🙏🏾❤️🎉 Let’s go, 2025!* *After a little break 🌞