Welcome to Café #2- Run by Teens for the Whole Community
INTERVIEW
Café #2 in the mountain town of Dilijan, Armenia, population 17,000, is the first youth and community café in the region and an example of social entrepreneurship. It was established with the support of IDeA Foundation, the Dilijan Development Fund and the TUMO Center of Creative Technologies. The idea of the café was to be a unique socializing platform in Dilijan for local teens, students of United World College (UWC) Dilijan and students of other educational institutions to communicate and develop social activism and grassroots initiatives in the grounds of the café.
It recruits teens aged 14 years and above to work as waiters and assistants, making it, for some, the very first place they work, giving them a chance to try out the hospitality area and learn key skills in customer service.
GEORGIA TODAY spoke to Katya Bredikhina, one of the founding members, who came from Russian to Dilijan for the love of seeing such projects bloom. She has lived in Dilijan for 1.5 years and works as a Project Manager in UWC Dilijan, trying to build up the alumni development platform for under-graduates and post-graduates, to build up the partnership and scholarship program for the students and also actively helps in developing and expanding the Café.
“I used to work for Skolkovo Business School, which is where I met Ruben Vardanyan (founder of UWC) there helping to launch new educational projects. The last project was to launch a research center on urban development. Through that I heard about UWC Dilijan. They were looking for volunteers and I was invited to join them.”
Tell us about the Cafe
The idea of the Café was to establish a platform in Dilijan in the middle of the town so that the local and UWC communities can do some joint activities. It’s the only place in Armenia where teenagers from the age of 14 work legally, contracted, with work hours determined by age and parental permission. This is a place for them to give the hospitality business a try, which can help them support themselves once they move to Yerevan to study at university. We can accommodate up to 300 people standing during concerts and have 50 seats renovated by local teen, and we’ll expand that space into the yard in summer.
Dilijan was once a popular resort
Yes. Famous composers used to come and rest here and drink the mineral waters- Shostakovich, for example. And that popularity as a health resort will come back, with more guest houses, cafes, hotels, souvenir shops and places of interest for tourists. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, working in the hospitality and service sectors became shameful but this is changing. Both boys and girls work in the café and then go on to train their friends. We just started the second training, with our current teen staff providing in-house training ready for the summer season. There’s also a musical college, art college, and vocational college for restaurant service in the town.
Where do the profits from the Café go?
We’re aiming to reach operational sustainability, but until we do, all the profits will go into the Scholae Mundi Armenia Foundation to support other educational and social initiatives in Dilijan
What did the locals first think about the Café?
At first they were skeptical but once they saw it up and running they became more willing to get involved and take over from us. They enjoy the events and cultural exchanges that happen here, as well as the coffee!
How do you see Dilijan in future?
In Soviet times there was a factory producing electronic parts. Now, it is a re-developing summer tourist resort- loved especially by Armenians for the mild climate, though as I said, famous composers also used to come here. More work needs to be done to keep tourists here for longer periods. Since Café #2 opened, another café, a pastry shop and one restaurant have opened, plus the number of guest houses is increasing by the year. When you see results and changes, it keeps you going.
Anna, Café #2 Waitress, 22: “I’ve worked here for six months. My friends are here and I get a chance to practise my English, Russian and French with guests. The café is a new chapter for the town and a meeting point for the people. For young people it’s a good chance to learn the skills needed to work in a restaurant. In future, I want to stay in Dilijan. It’s not easy to find work but things are changing here.
Katie Ruth Davies