CAFE BAR 16 is social enterprise, initiated by the Center for Youth Integration, in order to expand the support provided to children who live and/or work on the street.
After the age of 15, children who come to Drop in Shelter remain unable to use this service and can rely only on the support provided by the expert outreach team. The numerous problems they have faced remain, one of the most dominant is the continuation of education and access to labor market. The one of the priorities of Center for Youth Integration is overcoming of this problem, which is why a social enterprise Cafe bar 16 was founded.
“The focus of our work will be young, former beneficiaries of Drop in Shelter, aged 16 to 19, who left school due to uninterrupted support and who are unable to find employment. Cafe Bar 16 is designed to provide social inclusion for young people, interaction with the majority population, employment opportunities outside of our cafe, along with close partners such as other social enterprises, NGOs, donor community, companies and individuals “, said Marko Tosic, executive director of Center for Youth Integration, organization which coordinates the service of Drop In Shelter in Belgrade.
Young people who will have the opportunity to work in a cafe will be able to serve as an example and role model for children, current beneficiaries of Drop In Shelter, giving them a motivation for completing school and confirmation that the support that they receive from Center for Youth Integration does not end with end of their using of Drop in Shelter service.
For 10 years, Drop in Shelter has been providing services to children who live and/or work on the street. Drop in Shelter works on a monthly basis with more than 350 children, in two locations in Belgrade.