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Happy Spring Riverside community! We hope your month has been full of color and blossoms. Here’s what our crew has been up to in March.
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For the past year, we’ve worked with a team of hard-working contractors to help convert a bank building into a functioning coffeehouse and community space. As one might expect, it’s come with a fair number of challenges. All the wiring in our building was stolen, there were rotten ceiling tiles, and a lot of leaky plumbing. Slowly and painstakingly we made each fix and left our building in a happier place. We now have electricity, pipes that weave through the ceilings to deposit water, and fingers crossed no leaks. I even drilled a paper towel dispenser in the bathroom! Next up, we need to set up consistent trash pickup, an internet connection, and pass our health inspection. There’s always a lot of moving parts and we’re learning along the way.
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A year of cooperative entrepreneurship lessons have primed our student entrepreneurs to develop their collaborative skills. It was out in full-force during this month's classes as our instructor, Dane Lott, helped our students learn the fundamentals of operating a coffeehouse. We began with the basics– what is coffee and where does it come from?-- before learning about how the different equipment behind the bar works. There was a big emphasis on safety– coffee is hot! We ground some beans, frothed some milk, and possibly added too much syrup to our cafe-au-laits. It was heartening to see how the students fully stepped into their roles and took ownership of their responsibilities.
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After some coffeehouse operations training, we spent some time running through scenarios. The students have become familiar with improv games because they normally kick-off our sessions. It’s a great way to get people moving, thinking, and comfortable in their bodies. Now, it was time to take those acting skills to handle real-world scenarios. Students handled unhappy customers, indecisive customers, fire hazards, and questions about Riverside’s story. A big thank you to Wesley (who just matched in orthopedic surgery in Detroit!) for being our star actor. Our students are reflecting on creating a community-focused environment where everyone feels comfortable.
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That’s all for now! As always, thank you for being a part of the journey.
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