Jen Shaw

When you buy lunch at Jen Shaw’s Emerge café in Toowoomba, Queensland you’ll be contributing to the welfare of disadvantaged young people as well as receiving a delicious meal. The cafe offers training and employment to young people who are ready to get their lives back on track. It’s part of several programs run by Jen to match the immediate needs of high at-risk youth. Over two hundred young people present to Emerge each year for crisis support, accommodation, basic living needs or emergency relief. Since the café doors opened in 2019, Jen has faced the challenges of Covid lockdowns and relocation, yet 42 young café workers have successfully transitioned to other employment and are well on their way to a secure future. The grant will support Jen with operating Emerge café at its newest Toowoomba location and continue in her work of creating a sustainable future for young people.