The Usual Place- Challenge Poverty Week 2026
Posted: 08 October 2026, in News
The Usual Place is an award-winning, unique, service-user-led charity and social enterprise based in Dumfries, supporting young people aged 16–25 with and additional support needs.It provides clear pathways from supported volunteering and workplace training through to recognised qualifications and progression into paid employment.
On a daily basis, young people take an active role in running The Usual Place Café, gaining real experience in a busy community workplace.
Each session follows a structured routine, giving young people consistency while allowing them to learn at their own pace:
- Arrival and planning: Young people are welcomed by mentors, check in, discuss the day’s activities and are allocated tasks suited to their abilities and individual goals.
- Practical café work: Young people prepare food and drinks, follow recipes, measure ingredients, take orders, serve customers, clear tables, wash dishes, clean, restock and assist with general café duties.
- Learning and mentoring: Throughout the session, staff provide individual support and 1-to-1 mentoring. Young people are encouraged to ask questions, practise new skills, learn from mistakes and gradually take on more responsibility.
- Teamwork and customer interaction: Young people work alongside others, communicate with customers and colleagues, practise time management and develop an understanding of workplace expectations.
- Training and qualifications: Young people take part in structured learning and can work towards recognised national qualifications, including SVQs in Hospitality, Food Hygiene, Retail and First Aid.
- Review and reflection: At the end of sessions, young people review what they have achieved, discuss any challenges and identify skills or tasks they can continue to develop.
We spoke with Craig McEwan, Chief Executive of The Usual Place to find out more about their work and how they are supporting individuals in their community who are experiencing poverty.
How does your organisation support those experiencing poverty in the community?
The model in which The Usual Place was set up was that everyone should have equal access to our services and therefore financial inequality should not be a barrier to young people coming to us. We are free at the point of delivery.
We also remove the poverty of ambition, enabling young people to increase their input to community and become economically active citizens and not passive recipients of care.
What challenges do you face to your work around tackling poverty?
We still have the issue with the lack of insight for statutory services to the benefit of the intensive input, people and financial, that gives the long-term gains of our work. i.e reducing the disability employment Gap and therefore reducing the overall benefits bill.
Do you have a short testimonial to share?
One of our SVQ Trainee’s Lewis has successfully got his first job working at The Cairndale Hotel and Spa. Lewis is a fabulous trainee here at The Usual Place where he is training for SVQ in Professional Cookery.
His experience here has been varied and Lewis always puts 100% into every opportunity to learn. As well as baking and decorating incredibly delicious cakes, he works in our cafe kitchen, took a key role in the recent Fine Dining event where he trained with the amazing chefs from The Globe Inn, he has also worked at many of our other events and has trained in bar work with us too.
Now he has successfully passed an interview and trial session with his new employer The Cairndale Hotel & Spa where he will be working evenings and weekends – he can’t wait to get started on their rota.
We are all so happy to see trainees moving in to employment with informed employers and Lewis will be able to combine this new job with his training here at The Usual Place.
What one change would most help you support those dealing with poverty?
More staff to create more capacity to enable more young people to have the use of our services.