There are few things I love more than finding a great café or restaurant. Over time many have captured my attention but I have found only a few that have captured my thoughts. Despite distance, I still find myself back in these places. All of them tend to be a little arty, have great staff, amazing food and in some way or another are helping people in our world.

After moving back with my sister recently, she began to tell me of a café she had found on holidays. It was something she insisted I would love and preceded in convincing me I needed to check it out myself.

Out of curiosity, I looked it up online and was both inspired and encouraged with what I found! The place was called "The Social Studio." Quite like others I found myself retuning to, it had an arty feel to it and friendly warm staff  but the way they were helping people was unique to what I had heard before.
All the staff at The Social Studio are Refuges. The non-profit organization also offers education and training to refuges in clothing design, manufacturing and retail. The primary aim of the group is to give refugees a safe, welcoming place to learn new skills from experienced designers so they can then find employment in their new homeland.

As a result of their efforts, many peoples lives are being built into and changed so that they to can go out and impart into their society. Many people who might have otherwise felt alone are also given a community they can connect to and are surrounded by people they can relate with. It is so great to see people in their local community who have seen the need around them and have approached it creatively to make a difference.

We at I-HEART thought their story was inspiring. Its amazing how the ideas of few can impact the lives of many when put into action!

To find out more, visit -  THE SOCIAL STUDIO