Miscellaneous
Cafe Reconcile brings innovative life skills and job training to young people from severely at-risk communities. “ So the word of the day today is open-mindedness. What does it mean to have an open mind, and is it important to have an open mind?” asks Rachel Crump, a social worker at Cafe Reconcile. Over a dozen youth and adults gather before the work day for breakfast and their morning circle. Morning circle is where they share, pray, and give praise reports. This is also when they hear Word of the Day and discuss what it means to each of them. Today, it’s open-mindedness. “ If you’re a chef you gotta be open-minded to try different recipes,” says one participant. Cafe Reconcile is an 11-week job training program for youth 16-23 years old. It started in 2000 and over a thousand graduates have gone on to pursue careers in restaurants, hospitals, and other food services. But Cafe Reconcile does more than train people to work in food service. It addresses participants’ understanding of