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Bakerman is a not-for-profit social enterprise whose main purpose is social impact rather than profit. All surplus funds we generate from making and selling bread and other baked goods, rather than being used to pay dividends to shareholders, are used to fund our social activity.
Our social purpose is to provide skills training and work experience to Darlington’s disadvantaged young adults. They’re ‘disadvantaged’ for various reasons – such as mental health issues, neurodivergence, neglect, poverty – which seriously restrict their life and employment opportunities, and they may struggle with low self-esteem and find it very hard to gain employment. Our training and support for these people helps raise their self-confidence and gives them invaluable work experience, helping them gain employment opportunities.
Through past experience we’ve learned that baking is a calming and often therapeutic activity for young people with certain conditions or behavioural issues, and a bakery environment can be a safe and affirming space in which they can build self-confidence and acquire valuable skills and experience.
We’ve partnered with local organisations in Darlington that work closely with disadvantaged young adults and who refer selected candidates to us to attend our programmes.