For every McCafe coffee sold in the ACT and Queanbeyan in August, 20 cents will be donated to Kulture Break with the hope of reaching $20,000. Photo: Supplied.
Twenty cents from every McCafe coffee sold in the ACT and Queanbeyan in August will go towards helping young people in schools, jails and communities.
McDonald’s ACT and Queanbeyan is supporting Kulture Break throughout this month with the hope of raising $20,000 to ensure young people are able to experience the support the organisation has to offer.
McDonald’s ACT and Kulture Break have a long-standing relationship, with collaboration between the two organisations going back more than five years. The continuous support ensures scholarships are able to be offered to young people and families who are doing it tough.
Kulture Break CEO and founder Francis Owusu says when he was younger, he felt a lot of empowerment from being involved in dance and music.
“Performing and being creative gave me so much confidence and self-worth,” he says. “Before my involvement in the arts, I was extremely shy, lacked personal belief and truly felt like a nobody.
“I knew from my experience that dance, music and community can truly empower young people and give them a sense of freedom they otherwise may not experience.”
This empowerment is something Francis’s organisation strives to do today, and McDonald’s ACT sees the value in this, too.
McDonald’s ACT and Queanbeyan is supporting Kulture Break throughout the month of August. Image: Supplied.
Both organisations support a lot of Canberra’s youths and have witnessed first-hand the benefits of good mentorship and community.
“We are their introduction to the workforce,” says owner and operator of McDonald’s ACT, Ben Stockbridge. “We take this responsibility seriously. It is our job to mould and mentor them as they learn and grow.”
McDonald’s ACT’s continuous support of Kulture Break comes from the belief that Ben and his wife, Emma, have in the organisation.
“Kulture Break strives to be an exceptional organisation,” he says. “It’s fair to say that we have shared values with Kulture Break as supporters of youth and supporters of the community. To me, the partnership makes perfect sense.”
In 2020, with the help of McDonald’s ACT, Kulture Break provided 220 scholarships to disadvantaged young people and young people living with a disability to participate in dance, music and mentoring programs.
The money raised this year will help the organisation provide up to 40 scholarships for disadvantaged young people to participate in a semester’s worth of dance, as well as support 24 at-risk youths to participate in its mentoring programs ‘Man Up’ and ‘Ladies 1st’.
Kulture Break provided 220 scholarships to disadvantaged young people and young people living with a disability in 2020. Photo: Kulture Break.
One of the parents whose daughter went along to the ‘Ladies 1st’ program says that before she started going “she [her daughter] had no self-esteem, no desire to do anything, and was heading down the path of no friends and depression”.
“All that has changed and I credit ‘Ladies 1st’ as the reason,” says the girl’s mother. “She loves to dance and used to go to dance classes elsewhere, but was almost bullied out of them and decided she was no good at anything.
“She started going to ‘Ladies 1st’ and now she is dancing around the house, and is happy to let me watch. She has picked up in all her classes, has a group of girls to hang around with at school, and is always excited to go to ‘Ladies 1st’ on Wednesdays. She’s a different girl – way more confident.”
Participating in the fundraising event is easy. Simply purchase a coffee from any ACT or Queanbeyan McDonald’s during the month of August and 20 cents will be donated directly to Kulture Break.
You’ll be able to have a great Aussie cuppa and make a difference, all at once.
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