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How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline? Read the challenge brief

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Explore Vibrancy
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Tell us about the cities and communities you know are currently struggling or in the process of revitalising. Find out more...
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addiction, at risk youth, community restaurants, culinary training, food entrepreneur, poverty, youth initiative

Inspiration
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Mission #2 Share Stories Find out more...

Café Revitalization for At-Risk Youth in Nicaragua

Café Chavalos tells the story of what happens when you put hope back into the hands of the hopeless, working towards a unique vision until inevitably something extraordinary blossoms. The result is vibrant, enriched individuals and communities.
Café Chavalos is a culinary school, restaurant, and rehab center in Granada, Nicaragua which exists to empower some of its most desperate young citizens, while revitalizing the culinary scene in this economically impoverished yet culturally rich region.

The story begins from the perspective of a group of street youth who have developed debilitating addictions to escape the desperate reality of their situation. The group is challenged to exchange their street lives to participate in a program that provides them with culinary training and restaurant business skills. With the financial backing of the Building New Hope NGO, "los chavalos" (the kids) start up their own small café, which develops into a vibrant culinary destination for the city of Granada thanks to their hard work, dedication, and a unique support system that the chavalos form to keep each other on track.

Sadly, the café closes due to financial and other challenges related mostly to lack of training staff and the original chavalos' own progress. But the chavalos move on and are able to re-integrate successfully into other parts of society. 

Having been such a successful model, it's not entirely clear why the café was not able to live on and continue to serve as a training center for other at-risk youth in the area. Especially when they were setting up such an innovative model while providing great food + atmosphere to a city so frequented by tourists. 

Learn more here.

Watch the feature-length documentary film here.

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David Young

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February 17, 2012, 05:10AM
The issues surrounding at-risk youth are important ones. Important because preparing at-risk youth for future employment is so vital, vital because these youths represent our future, and we should all play our part in nurturing them.
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Meena Kadri

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December 05, 2011, 06:48AM
The diversity of global examples on this challenge has been amazing. Cheers for sharing yet another inspirational one, Linda!
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