When Ethan French thinks about his future, he thinks big. His dream is to run his own business – and, to do that, it helps to understand how successful businesses are run, which is one reason why Active in HELL (AiH) has been so useful for him.
AiH is a paid training scheme run through HELL Pizza stores across the country, with support from IHC New Zealand. It teaches young adults with intellectual disabilities the practical skills required to thrive in a commercial kitchen, as well as the responsibility of having a job and working as part of a team.
Sixteen-year-old Ethan, who is neurodiverse, undertook his AiH training at HELL Cuba Street in Wellington and says he learned heaps from the experience.
In terms of practical skills, he says: “It was good to learn how to do things like chop tomatoes and understand how to use knives and other equipment safely.”
“This was a big step in his journey towards adulthood and I know that Ethan is super grateful for the opportunity” - Nicholas Penman, Pride Lands mentor
But AiH also helps to prepare graduates for life beyond the workplace, and Ethan says the connections he’s made during his six weeks at HELL will hold him in good stead as he tries to find his first permanent role, while the introduction to workplace etiquette and routines has also been important.
“Before this, I’d never had to get up to make it to work on time, so that’s been very helpful!”
Believer in the cause
HELL Cuba Street manager Dan Patel has welcomed three AiH graduates to the store and says he and his staff have taken a lot of value from each experience.
“We always have positive experiences with our trainees, and we like to think they go away from it having learned something that will help them. It feels good to know that you can make a difference in someone’s life and it’s not pure charity, because they’re in paid employment and carrying out jobs that need to be done in the store.”
Dan adds that Ethan’s curiosity made for some interesting conversations!
“We spoke a lot about the major pressures the store faces daily – things like payroll, managing costs and managing staff – and I hope it will help him in his future career!
“It was good to see how a business is run,” says Ethan. “Especially how the manager buys in all the ingredients and plans the day ahead. I think it’ll really help me reach my dream of running my own business one day.”
Taking big steps
Ethan was supported through his training by Pride Lands* mentor Nicholas Penman, who says his mentee’s communication improved considerably during the six-week programme.
“One of Ethan’s major goals is improving his communication,” explains Nicholas. “As time went on, he got more comfortable talking to the other staff members and even customers when they approached him. I saw him grow in confidence the longer his training went on. This was a brilliant opportunity for Ethan, and I want to say a big thank you to Active in HELL!
“This was a big step in his journey towards adulthood and I know that Ethan is super grateful for the opportunity.”
*Pride Lands is a Wellington-based organisation which offers a suite of wrap-around services for children such as mentoring, job interview guidance and CV writing.
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