Amelie, 29 years old, has been working at the Starbucks Opera store in Paris as a barista for the past four years. Despite having dyspraxia and being told by doctors that she would never be able to work, she is determined not to let that get in the way of progressing in the workplace and has been named Starbucks France Second Service Champion.

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“I love talking to the customers. To start with it was hard but now I am more open and the Starbucks team gave me confidence. People ask me how I do it but I tell them it’s simple, just smile and be dynamic.”

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The connection Amelie has with regular the customers mean they comment when she is not working. ‘It’s different when you’re not here’ they tell her. This is what led to her recently being named Barista of the Quarter. “It was amazing, it means a lot to me” Amelie adds.

For the past 10 years, Starbucks France has been working with AVEC, a charity organisation that matches young adults with learning difficulties with workplace opportunities. Amelie was introduced to Starbucks through the partnership.

Describing what working at Starbucks means to her, Amelie concludes: “I am happy here, they accept me as I am. I am no different to the others.”

'Doctors Told Me I would Never Work – Now I am Starbucks France’s Second Service Champion' - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Stories EMEA

&#8216;Doctors Told Me I would Never Work – Now I am Starbucks France’s Second Service Champion&#8217;

Amelie, 29 years old, has been working at the Starbucks Opera store in Paris as a barista for the past four years. Despite having dyspraxia and being told by doctors that she would never be able to work.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/doctors-told-me-i-would-never-work-now-i-am-starbucks-frances-second-servic/

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‘Doctors Told Me I would Never Work – Now I am Starbucks France’s Second Service Champion’

What does it take to be crowned Starbucks Barista Champion out of 41 countries in its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region? The Starbucks EMEA Newsroom team met Fabio Neno, assistant store manager from Portugal, who knows exactly how it feels to take the crown – or in Starbucks terms, the purple apron and gold milk pitcher.

Fabio has worked at the Armazens Chiado Starbucks store in Lisbon for six years, and also competed in last year’s EMEA Barista Champion competition. He says: “I didn’t make the final four last year, so my aim this year was to be a finalist and anything more than that would be a bonus. I entered for my partners - to make them proud.”

Fabio’s skills and coffee knowledge as he competed on the stage at the prestigious event in London in front of hundreds of Starbucks partners was what led him to be crowned the winner. Asked what his reaction was when he heard his name called in the final round, he said: “No way – it can’t be true. It was unreal.”

The connection with Starbucks partners around the globe and meeting new customers is at the core of why Fabio loves his job so much. “Being behind the counter is one of the things that I love, connecting with the customers and I am passionate about training partners. I want to be the inspiration for other partners - to be the face they know and recognise and realise anything is achievable for them too. Coffee brings people together, I really like the social aspect and experiencing stories all centered around coffee.”

What Does it take to Become Starbucks EMEA Barista Champion? - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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What Does it take to Become Starbucks EMEA Barista Champion?

The Starbucks EMEA Newsroom team met Fabio Neno, assistant store manager from Portugal, who knows exactly how it feels to take the crown &ndash; or in Starbucks terms, the purple apron and gold milk pitcher.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/what-does-it-take-to-become-starbucks-emea-barista-champion/

Bite The Ballot and Starbucks encourage young people to take the future into their own hands by hosting ‘Democracy Cafes’ ahead of the General Election

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Under 25s are 81% more likely to search about the General Election than the rest of the UK

With a few days left to register to vote in June’s General Election, Bite The Ballot and Starbucks UK are encouraging young people to get together in their communities to talk politics over coffee. Following the success of the ‘Democracy Cafes’ created by Bite The Ballot and Starbucks ahead of last year’s EU referendum, the events are running again in the lead up to the General Election on June 8th.

DeCafe events (‘Democracy Cafe’) will enable under 25s, often referred to as the ‘votes lost’ generation, to meet up and talk about the real facts of this year’s surprise General Election.

Evidence shows that under 25s are interested in learning more about the snap election. Data collated for Starbucks from Hitwise* following the announcement of the snap election reveals 18-24-year olds are 81 per cent more likely to search around the General Election than the rest of the country. In particular, students and those in internships are demonstrating an increasing appetite with 73 per cent more likely to seek information around the general election online.

DeCafe’s were inspired by the early history of coffee houses, where people would come together to discuss and debate local problems and put plans in place to resolve their shared issues. Ten events will be hosted over the next week in selected Starbucks stores across London, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Hundreds of young people are expected to take part and are invited to openly share their views on the upcoming election.

Simon Redfern, vice president public affairs for Starbucks Europe said, “Together with Bite The Ballot, we are reviving the role coffee shops once played in sparking public debate in the 17th-18th century.

“With over half of our UK partners (employees) under the age of, we are delighted to provide an opportunity for young people, including our store teams, to join this important conversation.

“The DeCafe events create safe environments for young people to meet and debate the issues they care about, ensure they register to vote before 22nd May.”

Mike Sani, CEO of Bite The Ballot said, "We are excited to be partnering with Starbucks UK again for the third year to run DeCafe's across local communities in the UK. DeCafe's provide a safe space for people who would not usually socialise with one another, to come together to explore the issues they care about, debate and develop the political solutions to create change". 

For more information on the DeCafe events across the country, visit <a href="http://bitetheballot.co.uk/">www.bitetheballot.co.uk</a> or follow @bitetheballot. Follow the wider campaign at this website <a href="http://www.turnup.org.uk/">http://www.turnup.org.uk/ </a>#TurnUp

Bite The Ballot and Starbucks Host 'Democracy Cafe' - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Bite The Ballot and Starbucks Host &#8216;Democracy Cafe&#8217;

With a few days left to register to vote in June&rsquo;s General Election, Bite The Ballot and Starbucks UK are encouraging young people to get together in their communities to talk politics over coffee.&nbsp;

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/bite-the-ballot-and-starbucks-host-democracy-cafe/

Bite The Ballot and Starbucks Host ‘Democracy Cafe’

Each April marks Starbucks Global Month of Service, the highlight of our year round commitment to having a positive impact in the communities we serve. Here’s what’s took place across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. 

In Kazakhstan orphanages are always in need of urgent help as they rely on donations and volunteers to keep running. Thirty-five Starbucks partners spent the day clearing an area at an orphanage in Almaty, Kazakthstan, for a new playground for the children. More than 50 plastic bags of rubbish were collected. Afterwards, the team provided coffee and baked treats for all the children and volunteers to enjoy.

One hundred partners from store teams across Moscow wore their gardening gloves with pride to help turn the city’s Kuzminki-Lyublino park into a space where the natural fauna could flourish as fallen debris meant the wildlife was suffering. After breakfast and a warm up session, the teams divided into groups, each focussing on either clearing, painting or building bird houses, and turning the park into a beautiful space for all to enjoy. Across Russia, another 50 partners came together to volunteer to revamp the gardens of orphanages in Samara, Tyumen and Yekaterinburg. In addition to gardening, the teams painted all of the outside furniture to create a brighter, more creative space for the children to play. 

Keeping Amsterdam clean motivates district manager Babette van den Berge to volunteer. In April, she helped coordinate a service project with the local government and nonprofit NederlandSchoon to remove rubbish from city streets and Vondelpark, one of the city’s most famous parks.

“I’m very glad that I can be of assistance to others and to my community,” said van den Berge. “I am proud to work for a company that serves, because it is necessary. We do it from the heart and that’s a very positive feeling.”

“Volunteers like those from Starbucks who organise clean-up activities are very important,” said NederlandSchoon Program Manager Dorien Bosselaar. “We depend on them to reach our goals.”

Nearly every quarter, van den Berge coordinates a service project. There’s never a shortage of volunteers from the stores in her district.

“I try to lead by example and share the kind words from the nonprofits and other people that we support. This encourages partners to help too,” she said. “There’s always something you can do and it’s such rewarding work.”

A team of 16 partners from Edinburgh have been working in close partnership with Waverley Care, who offer residential support for people living with HIV and Hepatitis C, in recent years. This year the local store managers spent the day at Waverley Care’s Milestone Gardens – a four acre site that needs continuous year-round work to maintain a welcoming, positive and relaxing environment for visitors. The team cleared flowers beds, scrubbed walkways, pruned tress, cleared drains, built benches, planted grass seed and improved paths during a very active day. Continuing in Scotland with supporting local community gardens, store partners from Dunfermline spent the day at The Friary Community Garden in Inverkeithing. The Garden acts as a hub for those with learning disabilities and the store team stepped in to clear away debris and bricks, as well as ferrying water from a nearby source to the garden to help with longer term projects.

Led by district manager Anna Vani, 10 store managers from west London spent the day at West London Free School Primary in Hammersmith volunteering their time to plant bulbs in the school’s allotment. The partners also stepped in with brushes and overalls to help paint doorways to brighten up the outside of the building and create a warm and welcoming environment for the children.

Starbucks Partners Across EMEA Unite with Volunteering Programmes in Their Local Communities - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Partners Across EMEA Unite with Volunteering Programmes in Their Local Communities

Each April marks Starbucks Global Month of Service, the highlight of our year round commitment to having a positive impact in the communities we serve. Here&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s took place across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.&nbsp;

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/starbucks-partners-across-emea-unite-with-volunteering-programmes-in-their/

200 young people from London and Birmingham were welcomed at special events hosted by Starbucks partners dedicated to inspiring and educating youth about future workplace opportunities.

The events came as Starbucks marked its third ‘Open Starbucks’ community day as part of Global Month of Service, which was held in partnership with The Challenge who run Starbucks award-winning Opportunity Youth programme in the UK, HeadStart with Starbucks.

The London event was the biggest open Starbucks youth employability event to date with 200,16-24-year olds from schools across London invited to join interactive workshops and ‘skills networking’ sessions led by Starbucks volunteers. There was a chance for the visitors to create a new Frappuccino recipe, design a new store or learn about the role of IT in running the day to day business! Starbucks partners shared their career experience to inspire and equip young people with confidence and skills to achieve their potential in the world of work.

Starbucks is a founding partner of HeadStart, a programme set up by The Challenge and the Mayor of London in 2013 in coalition with other corporate and charity partners, which recently celebrated 100,000 hours of volunteering. HeadStart is an award-winning programme which supports young people to gain critical character traits and skills for work and life through volunteering. It also connects them with their local community to create a more integrated society. 

Youth Career Workshops Hosted by Partners in London and Birmingham - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Youth Career Workshops Hosted by Partners in London and Birmingham

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/opportunity-youth-from-london-and-birmingham-hosted-at-career-workshops/

Millions of young people across the Middle East &amp; North Africa (MENA) region have limited access to employment opportunities, and they find themselves unable to become economically active in their communities.

Driven by its principles of being a globally responsible for-profit company, and in its effort to bridge between youth and opportunity, Starbucks MENA launched its “Opportunity Café” initiative in April of 2016 by hosting the region’s CV-writing workshop across 10 markets in partnership with Bayt.com and Education For Employment (EFE). As a result, nearly 500 youth received professional advice on how to improve their resumes, find jobs, and succeed in future job interviews. Additionally, nearly 1,000 youth were linked to further career services, to help deliver them to employment.

Following the success of the first installment of the Opportunity Café, Starbucks MENA was determined to continue its commitment of putting young people on the pathway to employment through 2017, and re-partnered with Bayt.com and EFE to host CV-writing training sessions across 16 of its stores on April 24.

“We are thrilled to be reviving our partnership with Starbucks in order support more and more job seekers,” said Rania Nseir, Director of Business Development &amp; CSR, Bayt.com. “As the Middle East’s #1 Job Site, we have made it our mission to equip job seekers with the skills and tools they need to build their careers of choice and head towards success. We hope that, by offering free CV consultations to professionals of all backgrounds and career levels, we will contribute toward a stronger and more empowered workforce. Those attending Opportunity Café will benefit from our career experts’ recommendations and will be able to better highlight their expertise in key areas and chalk out a well-structured CV. All job seekers can also benefit from our job site, which gives them access to over 10,000 jobs on any given day.”

“It is truly a pleasure to partner with Starbucks for this second Opportunity Café. EFE|Egypt’s experience of almost ten years working closely with a diverse pool of employers has allowed us to understand the Egyptian employment market and know exactly what employers look for when they receive a C.V. This is the knowledge we hope to pass on to our attendees this year. That, coupled with our successful experience at last year’s Opportunity Café make us look forward to this year’s event, confident we will be delivering workshops that are practical, informative and up-to-date with current market needs.” Ismail El Habrouk, CEO, EFE|Egypt

Alongside the CV-wiring workshops, Starbucks MENA partnered with AMIDEAST Entrepreneur Institute and Silatech to host “Startup” training sessions across 12 additional stores, to help out young people who are looking toward starting their own businesses as their alternative pathway to economic opportunity.

“AMIDEAST is proud to partner with Starbucks, a global company that leads not just in its core business but also in giving back to its communities around the world. As an NGO focused on expanding opportunities for youth throughout MENA, our vision and work align closely with Starbuck’s ‘Opportunity Café’ initiative. By exposing Arab youth to the key skills needed to start their own businesses, we hope to inspire them to consider this career option and help them create their own future as well as create jobs for other Arab youth,” said Barbara Shahin Batlouni, Country Director of AMIDEAST/Lebanon.

“Our mandate is to prepare Arab youth for the world of work and connect them to jobs and economic opportunities through innovative employment and enterprise initiatives,” Mashael Ali Al-Hammadi, Director of Employability at Silatech. “This Collaboration with Starbucks is a great example of how partners can utilize their expertise to help Arab youth realize their full potential”.

By forming this coalition of experts, Starbucks MENA hopes to be able to provide 850 MENA youth with 147 hours of employability and entrepreneurship training, simultaneously across a geography 21 cities; making the Opportunity Café the largest youth &amp; opportunity event in the history of the region.

“At Starbucks, we continue to support youth across the region to find opportunities and inspire them to reach their maximum potential,” said Rana Shaheen, Regional Communications and CSR Manager for Starbucks MENA. “This year we have partnered with the experts in employment and entrepreneurship to form the largest coalition of experts giving local youth the opportunity to pick up valuable insights over a cup of Starbucks coffee and setting them on the path to success. We are proud to continue supporting our youth in the region with the necessary inspiration and guidance."

For more information about the workshop and to find an Opportunity Café near you visit: <a href="https://opportunity.mena.starbucks.com">https://opportunity.mena.starbucks.com</a>

Starbucks Forms the Largest Coalition in the Middle East to Help Youth - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Forms the Largest Coalition in the Middle East to Help Youth

Millions of young people across the Middle East &amp; North Africa region have limited access to employment opportunities, and they find themselves unable to become economically active in their communities.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/starbucks-forms-the-largest-coalition-of-experts-in-the-middle-east-to-help/

A new apprenticeship programme launched by two district managers in Northern Ireland has been shortlisted for an industry award just two years after launching.

Starbucks Ireland partnered with a local hospitality apprenticeship provider called Babcock in 2015 which provides NVQ Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships in Hospitality Supervision &amp; Leadership L3 and L2 Food and Beverage Hospitality.

District managers Barbara McMaster and Paula Galloway are responsible for 18 stores across Northern Ireland and wanted to find a way to offer further career opportunities for store partners to progress within the business. To date, 20 apprentices have graduated from the programme and a further 14 are currently working through the scheme. The programme also offers partners the opportunity to resit essential maths and English competences, giving them confidence and improving their skill set.

Eight partners with learning disabilities have also now completed a bespoke Level 1 Programme in Customer Service. 

Babcock nominated Starbucks for the Team of the Year Award at the Northern Ireland Institute of Hospitality Awards for Professionalism, which celebrates the hospitality industry’s leading performers. The award winner will be announced on 5 May 2017 at a prestigious ceremony in Belfast. 

“Our people are at the heart of our business, and we believe the best way to exceed the expectations of our customers is to hire and train great people," said Paula Galloway, district manager, Starbucks Ireland. "Our fabulous team of partners have shown great commitment to their learning and developing their skills further.”

The training that the NVQ gave me has been invaluable for my progression and it gave me the skills to manage and lead my team efficiently.

It is my goal to become a store manager, I have the support of my current store manager and the rest of the team at Starbucks. I am ready to join a group of high potential shift supervisors within the company which will help me on my path to becoming the next store manager, I love being a manager and I am grateful for all the opportunities that Starbucks have given me. 

Starbucks Ireland’s Apprenticeship Programme Shortlisted for Industry Award - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Ireland’s Apprenticeship Programme Shortlisted for Industry Award

A new apprenticeship programme launched by two district managers in Northern Ireland has been shortlisted for an industry award just two years after launching.&nbsp;

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/starbucks-irelands-apprenticeship-programme-shortlisted-for-industry-award/

This month, Starbucks celebrated its one year anniversary with National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the UK’s largest parenting charity. Starbucks became the first of its kind to adopt NCT’s Parent Friendly Places Charter as it pledged to provide a parent-friendly environment in almost 900 stores across the country.

The Charter commits to ensure a supportive environment for parents, particularly when it comes to feeding their child whether by breast, bottle or high chair – or a mix of all three.

“We are delighted to see this partnership continue to go from strength to strength as our local stores bed further into the communities they serve,” said Simon Redfern, Director of Public Affairs, Starbucks EMEA. “NCT is an important partner to Starbucks in the UK and we are looking forward to exploring this partnership further over the coming year.” 

Starbucks rolled out the programme to its stores across the country in April 2016. Baristas receive training created by qualified professionals from NCT, obtaining a full understanding of the needs of parents with young children or babies, so parents can feel confident to ask for help where needed. The initiative has met with a positive response from NCT groups who often use the store space for meetings.

“We were very pleased to hear that Starbucks partnered with NCT in this drive to make the high streets more parent friendly and it has been a very easy experience working with them,” said Louise Drew, NCT Flintshire &amp; Wrexham, parent support coordinator. “Since the baristas have been trained, the stores pretty much take the lead and host bi-weekly NCT events in store, providing baby toys and playmats for the children. We are excited to continue our work with Starbucks around the country.”

Starbucks UK Marks First Anniversary of Partnership with National Childbirth Trust - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks UK Marks First Anniversary of Partnership with National Childbirth Trust

This month, Starbucks celebrated its one year anniversary with National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the UK&rsquo;s largest parenting charity.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/starbucks-uk-marks-first-anniversary-of-partnership-with-national-childbirt/

With National Apprenticeship Week in the UK underway, two store partners from the Colmore Row store in Birmingham recognise the importance of the Starbucks Apprenticeship programme. Since its launch in 2012, Starbucks has placed over 1,500 partners with jobs in stores across the UK with one in five achieving promotion including to supervisor and store manager positions.

Jenny Williams, store supervisor Level 3 Apprentice

“I was working for Starbucks as a barista and often heard colleagues talk about the apprenticeship scheme and its benefits for gaining a variety of skills while building a management career. I thought the scheme could be a good way to gain more confidence and to progress within the company. I spoke with my supervisor, who encouraged me to apply.

As soon as I joined the scheme, my confidence both in and out of work started to improve. I can’t believe the progress I’ve made both in my career and personal life. The scheme has taught me how to become more comfortable in taking ownership of tasks such as managing the till area, which has led me to build personal relationships with our regular customers, learning their orders and other little details that can change their experience in store for the better.

Through the Starbucks apprenticeship scheme, I have met so many wonderful people and really have enjoyed doing it. I have been able to put everything I have learnt into practice at work and have been able to share these insights and learnings with my team. I have learnt so many new skills over the past year and my self-esteem has grown so much.” 

“I would always go in to a Starbucks during my college breaks and one day asked for a job. When my college days were coming to an end, I didn’t know what I wanted to do so my supervisor suggested the apprenticeship scheme. I didn’t know what to expect but the prospect of getting paid while learning new skills and gaining qualifications appealed to me.

I applied for the apprenticeship scheme and have really loved the instore experience, the life coach meetings and the monthly classroom and webinar sessions, which are facilitated by a specially trained store manager.

If someone would have told me that the apprenticeship scheme would lead to me running my own store, developing and learning crucial life skills such as managing a team and running a retail store, I wouldn’t have believed them. I fully recommend the apprenticeship scheme and believe if you put the work in, anything can happen.”

Starbucks has placed over 1,500 apprentices since it launched in 2012 with one in five apprentices achieving promotion including to supervisor and store manager positions.

The Starbucks Apprenticeship scheme offers a series of levels to help enable career progression. The first two levels take 12 months to complete, in which the apprentice gains a NVQ Level 2 in Barista Mastery and Customer Service and then a NVQ Level 3 in Leadership and Management – equivalent to two A-Levels.

In March 2015, Starbucks announced higher level apprenticeships as well as professional qualifications so our partners can study to degree level, earning while learning in disciplines such as management, digital and IT as well as in retail operations. At the same time, we introduced the opportunity to improve literacy, numeracy and language skills to support progression and employability for our partners.

Starbucks Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week in the UK - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week in the UK

With National Apprenticeship Week in the UK underway, two store partners from the Colmore Row store in Birmingham recognise the importance of the Starbucks Apprenticeship programme.&nbsp;

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/starbucks-celebrates-national-apprenticeship-week-in-the-uk/

A Life Coach Guides Young Man with Autism to Starbucks - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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A Life Coach Guides Young Man with Autism to Starbucks

The Basildon Starbucks became more than just a place to visit for Neary. First employed at the store through a work placement program, he became a permanent part-time partner four years ago.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/a-life-coach-guides-young-man-with-autism-to-starbucks/

Starbucks Roastery Coming to Milan in 2018 - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks Roastery Coming to Milan in 2018

Located at the historic turn-of-the-century Palazzo Delle Poste building on Piazza Cordusio, this one-of-a-kind 25,500 square foot retail space will feature the company&rsquo;s premium, small batch, Reserve coffees served in a variety of brewing methods.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2017/starbucks-roastery-coming-to-milan-in-2018/

Behind the Green Apron