An innovative restaurant that is also a classroom is coming to Mount Tabor, John Hughes. The Blue Dragonfly Foundation has secured funding from The Maria Holder Memorial Trust to develop an artisan pizzeria and lounge bar to be run as a real business while training autistic people for careers in hospitality.
The pizzeria will trade like any other restaurant, with a full menu, regular opening hours and paying customers. What sets it apart is the autistic young people trained and employed by the restaurant will receive mentorship from Autism Job Coaches and Support Specialists. Trainees will work in the kitchen and restaurant, learning food preparation, hygiene standards, table service, stock control and customer care.
The Foundation’s adjacent hydroponic farm and sister social enterprise, will provide produce for the restaurant, creating a farm-to-table model and giving trainees a second working environment in which to learn farming skills.
The restaurant is designed around how autistic people experience a busy service environment with the carefully designed lighting, acoustics and layout reducing sensory overload. An on-site quiet Learning Center and Sensory Room provides a safe space for anyone needing to step away and regulate as well as providing valuable learning and communications support with visual, autism-friendly resources.
Caroline Hopton, CEO and Founder, The Blue Dragonfly Foundation said:“We are enormously grateful to The Maria Holder Memorial Trust for backing our Restaurant and Hospitality Training Center for autistic young people. As hospitality drives much of the economy in Antigua and Barbuda, this introduces an important training pathway into employment at our restaurant and farm social enterprises and through our partners in the wider hospitality sector in Antigua & Barbuda.”
“Every parent or caregiver of an autistic person has the same concerns: what happens when my child leaves school? In addition, many autistic people have never been able to access appropriate education and are at home with no support and no purpose, which takes a heavy toll on their mental health and self-esteem, and on that of their families and caregivers. The Restaurant and Hospitality Training Center is an important first step in changing this by bringing hope and real opportunity to autistic people and their families in Antigua & Barbuda.”
Donna Clarke, Project Manager, The Maria Holder Memorial Trust said: “The Foundation’s restaurant social enterprise is an exciting model of meaningful inclusion — creating practical training, real employment opportunities and a place where autistic young people can develop their skills, confidence and participate in society. We are delighted to support this initiative with the potential to demonstrate what is possible not only in Antigua and Barbuda, but across the wider Caribbean region.”
About The Blue Dragonfly Foundation Inc.
The Blue Dragonfly Foundation Inc. is a registered nonprofit in Antigua and Barbuda providing vocational training and supported employment for autistic young people and adults. The Foundation is developing an integrated site at Mount Tabor, John Hughes, comprising A Restaurant and Hospitality Training Center, a Hydroponic Farm and a Learning Center and Sensory Room. The Blue Dragonfly Thrift & Gift Store is The Foundation’s flagship social enterprise established in 2022.
About The Maria Holder Memorial Trust
The Maria Holder Memorial Trust, registered Charity No. 766 under the Charities Act of Barbados, is a Charity creating longevity and was founded by Christopher Holder, SCM and Chesterfield Brewster, CHB in memory of Christopher’s Mother, Maria Holder. Maria made Barbados her home since 1978 until her sudden and untimely death in February 2004. It is the wish of Christopher and Chesterfield to ensure that her vision is fulfilled through this Charity bearing her name. The Trust works with Government and registered NGO’s and Charities in Barbados and other Caribbean Countries namely Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in order to implement projects that have a direct impact on the lives of vulnerable people. The Trust works in the areas of Education and Training, Health and Social Care, Culture and the Arts, Emergency/Disaster Relief and Conservation and Environment. Its target groups are children, youth, the elderly and those in vulnerable or difficult circumstances. The Trust is always happy to consider innovative projects or new approaches to helping those most in need. Further information can be found at the Trust’s website www.themariaholdermemorialtrust.com or by contacting the office at +1 246 419 4190.
Source: Antigua News Room The Maria Holder Memorial Trust Backs A New Restaurant Creating A Pathway Into Hospitality Employment For Autistic Young People.