IMPACT MAKERS of education with good skill sets. However the employment situation in the UK is dire, with only 6% of adults with a learning disability in paid jobs. What a waste of talent and resources! So we started Step and Stone, a bakery, creating high quality award winning lavosh flatbread, as a vehicle to help solve the problem. We have developed a rigorous training programme, covering eight key skill areas needed for the workplace. We operate in a bespoke person-centered way, and to date seven of our trainees have moved into paid employment, in a diverse range of organisations including DEFRA, Greggs bakery, the Students Union at University of the West of England, Dunelm, amongst others. We also run a popular social programme, as an important means of preventing loneliness. We are absolutely delighted to see genuine friendships now being enabled outside Step and Stone!
Jane Chong
Former Parent Alumni 1993 - 2009 Executive Director of Step and Stone
“If you think a situation needs improving, you can make a difference; break the problem down into small steps and identify your starting point.” As a former parent, can you share with us about your time spent at Alice Smith? My sons, Alexander and Andrew, were at the Alice Smith School during the 1990s and 2000s; with Alexander attending from Year 1 through to Year 13, and Andrew starting in Pre-school and finishing in Year 9. During my time as a KLASS parent, I chaired the PTA for a number of years, and was a governor too. It was an absolutely fascinating time in the development of the school to be on the board of governors, a period of rapid change as we worked on the concept and realisation of the secondary school. Share with us your journey in running a social enterprise Together with a friend, also called Jane, I run a social enterprise in Bristol, England. We work with young people with learning disabilities, to improve the appalling job prospects they face on leaving education. Jane and I both have a child with Down Syndrome and we are aware that educational opportunities are so much better nowadays, with young people reaching the end
Has your experience at the Alice Smith School impact your goals/vision in any way? The experience of being involved right from the beginning of the senior school gave me the insight that a seemingly daunting project in reality is a series of smaller steps! So start at the beginning and the rest follows on! How do you build a self-sustaining enterprise while generating community impact? Sustainability is a crucial goal, and we are not there yet after 3 and a half years. We are working hard to increase our income streams and be less reliant on grant funding, but it’s not easy. How can our alumni start their part in making a social impact in small ways? If you think a situation needs improving, you can make a difference; break the problem down into small steps and identify your starting point. And importantly, don’t reinvent the wheel: look at what other people have done to solve issues and learn from them, so do your research thoroughly! What does the future look like? I think the future of social enterprise increasingly being seen as an efficient vibrant means to tackle social issues! Follow Jane’s journey towards supporting people with disabilities here www.stepandstone.co
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