A support worker and participant cooking in The Oaks Collective kitchen in Oak Flats. Photo: Supplied.
A group of Oak Flats NDIS participants are swapping the cash register for the kitchen this week, hosting a public Biggest Morning Tea to give back to the community that has supported them.
From baking cakes to greeting guests, every part of the Cancer Council fundraiser at The Oaks Collective on Thursday (21 May) has been planned and run by the participants themselves, helping build real-world skills and confidence along the way.
Secondhand clothing store The Oaks Collective, part of Individual Me Disability Support, offers an innovative approach to employment and skill development for people with disabilities through hands-on retail training, skill building, and connection.
Individual Me Disability Support marketing and social media manager Raechel McPhan said by hosting their first Biggest Morning Tea, the six participants would build on the practical skills already developed through the secondhand store, which had involved everything from washing donated clothes to assisting at the cash register.
“Our participants came to us with this idea,” Raechel said.
“They wanted to give back to the community that has supported The Oaks Collective.
“They chose Cancer Council themselves and we said yes immediately.”
Raechel said while the event was designed to be fun, it also played an important role in building “real confidence and real skills” through budgeting, food preparation, food safety, communicating with the public and working as a team.
“These are the exact same skills that open doors to employment,” she said.
“Our participants are not practising, they are doing it for real, in front of their community.
“They have planned the menu, prepared food, organised games, made decorations and set up the space.
“Every element of this event has been driven by participants. Staff have been there to support, but the decisions have come from them.”
Raechel said they had even created thank you cards to hand out on the day.
She said The Oaks Collective store would be open for browsing and shopping during the event.
“The Oaks Collective is a real working retail and community environment, not a simulation,” she said.
“When our participants build a skill here, they are building it in a real setting with real people.
“That transfers. We have already seen participants grow in confidence, communication and independence since The Oaks Collective opened.”
Raechel said one participant had even taken things a step further, opening her own business and selling her wares through The Oaks Collective.
She said while it was about thanking the community for its support, she also saw it as a chance for the community to come and see what people with disability were capable of when given the opportunity.
The day was also designed to create space for connection between participants themselves.
“Enjoy a beautiful morning tea, support the Cancer Council and walk away knowing your community is doing something genuinely special in Oak Flats,” she said.
Biggest Morning Tea for Cancer Council will be held on Thursday 21 May from 10 am to 2 pm at The Oaks Collective, 46 Central Avenue, Oak Flats. It will be free, open to the community and donations can be made to the Cancer Council via QR code on the day, but no-one will be turned away if they can’t contribute financially.
