Building Confidence, Community and Careers: Breadwinners on BBC Radio London
We were delighted to join Jumoké Fashola on BBC Radio London to mark Breadwinners’ 10th anniversary and talk about what our work looks like today.
I (Martin Cosarinsky Campos, Breadwinners CEO) was joined by Abobakr, a graduate of our Risers, Breadwinners and Proofers programmes, who first became involved with Breadwinners in 2022.
Together, we spoke about how work experience, training, mentoring and community can help young refugees and people seeking asylum build their confidence and take their next steps in the UK.
AI generated image based on Martin,, Jumoke and Abobakr
10 years of Breadwinners
Breadwinners was founded 10 years ago around a simple idea: bread exists in almost every culture and every home, and it can bring people together.
Since then, we have used bread as a vehicle to provide young refugees and people seeking asylum with their first UK work experience, alongside training and mentoring.
Young people can start by learning practical skills and volunteering at our market stalls across London and Brighton. Once they have the right to work, they can progress into paid Market Stall Manager roles, earning the Living Wage while developing leadership and customer service skills. Through our Proofers programme, young people can also build office, digital and wholesale experience.
Abobakr’s journey through these programmes began in 2022.
“When I first came here, I was not that confident.”
Abobakr met Breadwinners shortly after arriving in the UK. At the time, he was looking for opportunities to improve his English, learn new skills and better understand life and work in a new country.
He joined our Risers programme before later progressing through Breadwinners and Proofers.
As he explained on BBC Radio London:
““When I first came here, I was not that confident. Speaking like I am now with you was new to me. I needed new skills, but I also needed to meet new people.””
Working at Canada Water Market became an important part of that journey. Every week, Abobakr spoke with customers, practised his English and became part of the local community.
He remembered the relationships he built with regular customers:
““I used to have regular local customers. They would come in the morning, buy their coffee and come to me for a pastry or some bread. We would have a short, friendly conversation — sometimes about the weather, sometimes about football.””
These might sound like small conversations, but they represent something much bigger: confidence, connection and belonging.
More than employment
As Jumoké highlighted during the interview, community runs through everything we do.
For young people who are building a new life in the UK, finding employment is hugely important — but so is building relationships, confidence and a sense of belonging.
Our aim is to support young people into employment and progression, and we know that getting there requires more than a CV. It requires skills, experience, confidence, networks and opportunities.
That is why mentors are also central to our programmes. Volunteers with experience of working in the UK support young people to navigate the job market, prepare CVs and interviews, develop their networks and take their next steps.
As Breadwinners celebrates its 10th anniversary, Abobakr’s more recent journey is one example of what our mission looks like in practice today: creating opportunities for young people to develop their skills, connect with their communities and move towards their ambitions.
And sometimes, it can all start with a loaf of bread.