The VilacomVida Association was founded in December 2016 by a group of parents of people with developmental difficulties. Their aim is to proactively and positively communicate the talents and abilities of these people, and to create projects and social businesses that make a difference in society and contribute to the sustainability of the project.
"Our ambition is that one day the difference will be viewn as part of us, society, and not just as a difference," explains Filipa Pinto Coelho, President of the Association.
Café Joyeux was born in France in 2017, with a model for integrating and training these people, supported by the opening of the first family of solidarity and inclusive café-restaurants. After learning about and making contact with this project, the Association, which was preparing to open its own solidarity and inclusive café project, decided to join forces with this more mature and tested project.
The franchising agreement was signed in April 2021 and in November the first Café Joyeux opened outside France, in the São Bento area of Lisbon.
For Filipa Pinto Coelho, the main difference in this project is a much clearer focus on people's abilities and skills: "We are the first company in Portugal to sign an open-ended employment contract with these people from the outset. Their training takes place as part of the contract. We can do this because we have the structure, processes and equipment to make it possible. This is an innovative employability model."
This immediate focus on the autonomy of the individual has proved to be successful. "We view that this commitment results in greater self-esteem and confidence in people, who grow quickly, acquiring skills and fulfilling their role. Immediately employing these people has been more than an attitude of solidarity, it has been an intelligent attitude," explains the head of the Association.
Training professionals who are valued
In this context, the whole concept of Café Joyeux is designed to foster the autonomy of people with difficulties, with the appropriate equipment, processes and teams. It's not just a café that employs more people. It's an organisation geared towards rapidly gaining skills and self-esteem so that these people can perform their duties at the same level as anyone else, providing quality service to customers .
"We're showing that people with a difference can be part of the answer to the labour shortage in catering and tourism. We're talking about qualified workers who have adapted and learned on the job. And there is a commitment and Subscription to the work that makes us proud to say that we have no absenteeism at Café Joyeux," says Filipa Pinto Coelho.
The characteristics of Café Joyeux can be replicated in many organisations in the tourism sector. "The 'Joyeux School' model allows for the development of skills in four areas over two years: barista, table service, cashier and kitchen, training multi-skilled employees in the catering sector who are competitive in the market," she says. "After two years they can choose whether they want to stay with us or go on to other challenges, now more capable and confident."
The success of this model could be important in helping to solve the problem of the 4,000 or so young people who leave school every year, with the skills and potential for autonomy and integration into society, "but who don't find answers that match the contribution they can make to society", warns Filipa Pinto Coelho.
Partnerships and support from companies is very important
In this context, she says, "the support we receive and the support we get from organisations like MEO Empresas is very important. Both for the communication and notoriety they give us, and for their direct support and for integrating us into their initiatives and events."
MEO Empresas has been with Café Joyeux since the beginning of the project and is accompanying its expansion, particularly with technical support and voice and communications solutions. The third Café Joyeux recently opened in Cascais and the fourth will open in September on the premises of a large company.
Filipa Pinto Coelho's experience is that this is a successful bet: "People join in and want to be part of the project. We provide a quality and friendly service that helps to remove the stigma of difference. The transformation in the confidence and attitude of the people we employ is extraordinary."
As for the future, "We hope to open more cafés across Portugal and give more jobs to these incredible people. We want the difference to be closer to society so that one day it will be viewn as part of us and not as a difference," says the head of the Association.