Minda’s revamped Restyle Sanctuary has been filled with not only a plentiful curation of items, but also an abundance of opportunities for clients.
Support Leader Michelle who oversees the operations at Restyle says that the new shop is going to be client centric, with participants involved in all store duties, as well as getting involved with a varied skills based program.
This includes everything from; customer service, pricing, steaming, promotions, till operations, new product research and creation, to cleaning up at the end of the day.
Staff will obtain skills like counting money, filling in banking forms and responding to shop emails, with the aim of building upon their literacy and numeracy skills.
Michelle says the Restyle program is all about building the confidence and independence of clients, learning and taking responsibility. “I love to see clients shine a little brighter and reaching whatever ambition they have set out for themselves”.
Clients Alethea and Jessica have been doing just that, and are both making leaps and bounds with their progress and personal goals.
I love seeing clients grow and I always know that they will do great things with a little patience, freedom and belief that they can do whatever they set their mind to, they can truly achieve anything.
Alethea who has been with Minda for one year after relocating from NSW to SA with her family, initially started at INC Café. After finding INC a bit overwhelming, she wanted to do something to build her confidence up, before being back in a busier environment.
Restyle made for the perfect fit: “I love using the till, running a stall at the shop and serving customers, and my current goal is to go back to working at INC Café”. A goal which Michelle says will be sooner rather than later. “Alethea’s confidence has grown so much, she is now adjusting and confidently greeting customers at the shop, as well as making her own goals and developing further skills”.
As part of the skills based program, the team at Restyle are making sustainable and natural products to sell, with a hand scrub recently being developed. Jessica and Alethea helped create the scrub and then applied to PKC residents in a pampering manicure session, much to their delight. This also forms part of Restyle’s new ethos in involving and giving back to the Minda community, through their programs.
For Jessica, Minda and Restyle have been her stepping stone to take on bigger opportunities. After recently enjoying doing the manicures at PKC, Jessica is now exploring the future with her own goals.
“I’m either going to do a Tafe Course and then work in the beauty industry doing nail’s, or I’ll look at further education through The Up The Hill Project”, (an opportunity at Flinders University enabling people with a disability, to access the University environment).
Jessica who has been with Minda for four years as a school leaver says that since her time at Minda and working at Restyle, she has become extremely organised, as well as having built on her independence and confidence.
Michelle says: “I love seeing clients grow and I always know that they will do great things with a little patience, freedom and belief that they can do whatever they set their mind to, they can truly achieve anything”.
