Four young people wearing Gold Foundation aprons stand inside a food van, smiling at the service window. Cups, drink cans and café supplies sit on the counter in front of them.

‘Shine Like Gold’ regional expansion

Gold Foundation is expanding its Shine Like Gold mobile café into regional South Australia, creating new opportunities for young people on the autism spectrum to access employment and build practical skills closer to home. Building on the success of the original Go for Gold project, this expansion will extend an established, inclusive employment model to regional communities where access to opportunities can be limited.

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About the grant

Gold Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that supports young people with autism and their families through programs that build social, life, and employment skills.

The Shine Like Gold mobile café was launched in 2022 as part of the Go for Gold project. It provides young people on the autism spectrum with award rate paid employment in a supportive environment, helping them develop real-world skills while building confidence, purpose, and connection to their community.

Since its launch, the mobile café has supported 38 young autistic people to gain work experience at major events, including the Adelaide 500, City-to-Bay Fun Run, and the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant.

With support from JFM Fund, Gold Foundation will expand the mobile café model into regional South Australia. This grant delivers against our strategic commitment to support innovative ideas to scale, and to increase access to both employment and skills development opportunities for young people with autism living outside metropolitan areas.

The regional mobile café will:

  • Provide award rate paid employment opportunities for young people with autism.
  • Support the development of practical hospitality and workplace skills.
  • Increase access to inclusive pathways to mainstream employment in regional communities.
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Project goals

The key outcomes of the grant are as follows:

1. Expand the Shine Like Gold mobile café into regional South Australia.

2. Increase access to award rate paid employment opportunities for young people with autism in regional areas.

3. Support young people with autism to develop practical work skills and confidence.

4. Strengthen inclusive pathways to mainstream employment in regional communities.

5. Build on the success of the original Go for Gold project to reach more participants, in regional communities.

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A young woman with long blonde hair stands outdoors smiling in front of vibrant red autumn foliage, wearing a dark navy knit jumper and jeans, with trees and greenery behind her.

“Having employment through the Cafe has had a huge impact on me by giving me opportunities to grow and understand the workplace. It has also become a sense of pride for me especially when I know that I am understood and valued for exactly who I am and I don’t have to change to fit into the workplace. It has given other employees the chance to grow and work on their skills in an environment that understands that sometimes we get overwhelmed and need to take a break so that we can continue to give our best.”

Tiff Wittup, cafe supervisor

Funded projects

Photo of two young males standing at the front of the Shine Like Gold mobile cafe. They are holding their hands in a thumbs up gesture. The cafe is bright yellow and blue with comic-style graphics.

Go for Gold

Go for Gold is a three-year project aimed at providing programs to assist young people on the autism spectrum as they transition into adulthood through either employment or education pathways. Gold Foundation received grant funding from JFM Fund to help cover the key expenses of Go for Gold’s three programs for young autistic people; the 12-week Inclusive Hospitality program, Shine Like Gold Cafe, and the 10-week Uni Ready Program.

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FreddyMatch’s Inclusive and Accessible Volunteering Project is creating new pathways for people with disability to connect with their communities through volunteering. By embedding accessibility into the FreddyMatch volunteering platform and helping organisations confidently offer inclusive roles, this project is making volunteering a space for everyone to contribute and feel welcome.

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Acknowledgement of Country

JFM Fund would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We work on many Aboriginal lands, including Kaurna land where our head office is located. We extend our respect to all Aboriginal peoples on other lands on which we work, live and play. We are committed to listening, recognising the past and walking alongside First Nations peoples, and building respectful relationships that support self-determination and a shared future.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have passed away.