Regina café blending job training and sustainability seeing strong community support

A Regina café built around youth employment is being described as both a training ground for vulnerable young people and a financial pillar helping to sustain social programs.

Jeff Dudar, CEO of the Street Culture Project, said the The Safe Café and Catering – which opened just over a year ago on College Avenue – was created with two goals in mind.

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“The primary reason for us opening the cafe is to provide opportunities for youth,” Dudar explained.

“Secondary – and important – is the need for us to generate unrestricted revenue through the café sales.”

Dudar said the organization strives to be a support system for helping youths move from crisis situations toward stability and independence, so revenue is reinvested back into programs that support young people across the city.

“We want to create opportunities where youth can survive and move from acute crisis, or survival mode, to thriving,” he said.

Dudar said the café plays a central role by offering structured programming alongside real-world work experience.

Inside the café, youths are placed in entry-level roles where they can gradually build confidence and skills in a real workplace.

“They start in junior barista positions or junior line cook, dishwasher positions, and then they move up through the different positions as their skills build,” Dudar said.

Those skills range from basic food preparation and dish washing to more advanced tasks like espresso making and latte art.

Dudar said many of the young people involved in the program face significant barriers when trying to enter the workforce, including limited job experience and a lack of support.

“There hasn’t been a lot of opportunity for them, in the past, to try and fail in an employment setting,” he said.

He added that the café is designed to act as a bridge between those early challenges while teaching young people about what’s required in a working environment.

Dudar said the response from the community and other businesses has been overwhelmingly positive, which has helped the café build its reputation.

He said the everyday interactions inside the space are a key indicator of success, whether it’s the connections between staff or customers understanding the direct impact their purchases have.

“The patrons know that by coming to the cafe and purchasing lunch or buying coffee, they’re in essence supporting youth in the city of Regina,” said Dudar.

For Dudar, one of the most meaningful outcomes has been challenging stereotypes about youths who are in vulnerable situations.

“They want to have fun. They want to do a good job. They want to take care of themselves,” he said.

Dudar said those everyday interactions help break down stigmas and highlight shared goals between staff, participants and the broader community.

Looking ahead, Dudar says the café is intends to continue serving as more than just a workplace. He added that strong community partnerships and continued support will be important to help ensure the program’s long-term success as it continues to grow in Regina.

“This is a space of safety, a space of conversation and a space of interaction,” he said.