Spain

Madrid, Guipúzcoa, La Rioja, Girona, Lleida, Barcelona, Alicante and León

English

Fundación Raíces

Arantza Zabala Otegui (Login to send email)

Business program manager

Yes

Cocina Conciencia is a project that promotes the social inclusion and labour market integration of unaccompanied minors. By promoting one-on-one relationships with chefs in the gastronomy sector, the project provides young migrants with a community where they receive training and mentoring by the best chefs in the market to help them gain social capital.

Image by Fundación Raíces

The project was born after a documentary was filmed in 2011 exhibiting the situation of an unaccompanied minor migrant in the streets. In order to combat the maginalisation and particular vulnerabilities faced by unaccompanied minors, Cocina Conciencia aims to facilitate their labour and social integration by enhancing their skills and networks to enter the restaurant industry in Spain.  

The project links unaccompanied minors, migrant youth and ex foster care youths with chefs around the country to train them in the restaurant sector and provide mentoring.

With the support of lawyers, social workers and psychologists, Cocina Conciencia provide holistic assistance to the integration needs of the participants.

Currently, the program has 30 young participants and 30 participating restaurants, which led to 53 employment opportunities in Madrid, Guipúzcoa, La Rioja, Girona, Lleida, Barcelona, Alicante and León.

The project targets vulnerable and unaccompanied young migrants aged between 16 to 25 years old in Spain. The majority of the participants originate from Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Morocco and Gambia.

The project is financed with private funding, donations and contributions from businesses.