About Serendipities
WHO ARE WE?
We are a social enterprise in the form of a cosy, quirky cafe, dedicated to creating and inspiring social change. We believe in equality for all, and everything that we do is to help build socially and environmentally sustainable communities. We serve delicious homemade vegan sweet and savoury foods as well as responsibly sourced hot drinks, all the while reducing and reusing as much as we can to lessen our negative impact on the environment.
We are the cafe of Uppertunity, where we provide a safe training space for our members. Uppertunity is the registered Community Interest Company: SC515689. Uppertunity works with adults with learning disabilities, additional needs, autism and mental health barriers. Uppertunity runs workshops and groups that not only help give our members a social outlet, but encourage them to learn new life skills and gain independence. We found that further skill development and volunteering opportunities for individuals facing barriers is limited. We decided to change this and create another space for our members (clients) to develop themselves and show off their talents. We are also a proud living wage employer. We don't have waiters, we have hosts who offer a personalised cafe experience to everyone that comes through the door. Each person is more than a customer; they are a unique individual that can make a difference!
A WAY OF LIFE
Serendipities is a positive, alternative way of thinking, where people develop confidence to be the change. This space is a story: a story of strength, a story of community, a story of growth. It demonstrates how to work inclusively, raising awareness of people’s roles in this world and showing that anyone can achieve incredible things. Customers will be buying into a way of life, helping to develop the professional skills of our members and provide a safe working space. By choosing us, you are getting involved in an eco-friendly model and kick starting change in not only Dundee, but the world.
OUR SPACE
Our space is a quiet, relaxed corner that allows an escape from the scrambling city around us. It is also a safe and non judgmental space for all individuals. We don't simply offer the usual cafe servers within our premises; we offer a social experience with unique opportunities for our local community. Visit 'Inside the space' to find out about all the different things we offer within our space.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
We follow a circular economy model, wherein waste is minimised as much as possible and all resources are reused to the best of their ability. The environment is incredibly important to us and we believe that adhering to this system allows us to lessen our negative impact upon our surroundings.
We use local suppliers and home-grown foods for our dishes whenever possible. All of our products are vegan to combat the pollution and harm associated with the farming industry. We encourage customers to bring in their own cups and bowls for take away usage, and only offer compostable take away items and limiting the usage of single use items as far as well possible.
We hate food wastage. One because it's bad for the planet and two, no one should go without food. We receive excess food from supermarkets and then share this with like minded groups such as Food Not Bombs. We offer our cafe to them on a regular basis where they can come together, cook the food and share it with those in need. We also use this food in our cooking skill groups aimed at individuals with additional needs. And any food that is made for the cafe and hasn't been sold before the use by date, we give to local community groups as well. We also provide free fruit within our cafe.
What is a Social Enterprise?
A social enterprise is a special type of non-profit or more than profit business that reinvests all of its profits into achieving specific social missions. This can be anything from protecting the environment to enriching the local community. Uppertunity has an asset and profit lock: all assets and profits must be permanently retained within the CIC and used solely for community benefit and aims. We have a Board of Directors. This board makes all the final decisions of the organisation. None of the board members are paid, it is voluntary.
For Uppertunity and Serendipities, our main mission is to demonstrate to the world that every single person in our community has the potential for greatness. Many people overlook individuals with additional needs or otherwise have negative preconceived notions about them, and we wish to prove these viewpoints wrong through our volunteering opportunities.
Profits at Serendipities go towards many things including running our weekly creative and personal development workshops aimed at individuals with additional needs, learning disabilities and mental health barriers; providing internal and external training to our volunteers and members; providing mentoring for all our members; and provide employment for some of our volunteers in the future.
We want to provide the best service we can to the community, and every single penny we make will go towards reaching this goal.
