We intend to use a space in the Bow Archways on Eleanor Street for this project, however we do not yet have confirmation that the premises will be available. We are confident that we can get permission to use the space during the crowdfunding campaign and we will communicate any updates in the Journey section to the right of this page. No funds will be collected from backers until permission has been secured. London’s hospitality industry is a vibrant and exciting place to foster a career. With the divisions in community that can come about through property development, regeneration, and gentrification, The Mixing Class Collective aims to build bridges through vocational training and employment opportunities for young people, centred in Tower Hamlet. The courses will aim to show participants the potential and career progression within the industry. The goal is not just to fill empty front line jobs, but to inspire and show the fantastic lifelong careers that can be had.

What we'll deliver:

• A school for Young Londoners to learn barista, bartender, and coffee roasting skills
• A third wave coffee shop, cocktail bar, and community space for West Silvertown
• 120 trained hospitality workers a year, including WSET accredited spirits courses

Why it's a great idea:

The school will be located in Tower Hamlets in Bow, and will operate as a coffee shop & coffee roastery by day, cocktail bar by evening, all staffed by alumni of the school on the London Living Wage. The school will ensure that diverse local Londoners are participants, and will be offering a fantastic quality offering and social hub to the new and vibrant business community. The borough of Tower Hamlets currently faces enormous poverty and disparity with the rest of London. Job prospects are slim with high unemployment rates. Of the 32 boroughs it is the worst off for poverty rate, child poverty, and income disparity. We hope to give young people hope & purpose & all employees will be paid LLW as a bare minimum.

Steps to get it done:

• - Finalise space
• - Meet with local colleges and six forms to promote the hub and recruit students.
• - Purchase Equipment
• - Fit Equipment

Using our extensive connections within the cocktail industry we will endeavour to find employment opportunities for graduates of the scheme, in acclaimed and high quality venues across the city. We have garnered support and interest from employers such as Harvey Nichols and the Soho House Group, and we plan to build on this, giving employers the opportunity to make socially conscious hiring choices through the Collective. We would draw on the extensive resources of spirits companies to support the students. The initial groundswell of support from the hospitality community has been enthusiastic and diverse offers of assistance have been made. The business itself would be a pioneering example in bettering sustainability in hospitality, using milk taps on the coffee stations (instead of plastic bottles), hot-composting all coffee grinds and other biodegradable waste (offered to local community gardens or city farms), and attempting to close the loop of waste wherever possible.