After a temporary closure for renovations and staff retraining, The Coffee Oasis has reopened its Burwell Café, an extension of the nonprofit’s mission to serve at-risk youth in Kitsap County.

The café, located in downtown Bremerton, officially resumed operations June 9 with a steady stream of customers and a commitment to blending community connection with job training opportunities.

“The café actually goes part and parcel with the mission of Coffee Oasis,” said executive director Bryce Clark. “We got our name because our founders, Dave and Cindy Frederick, bought a failing coffee shop in Bremerton called The Coffee Oasis, and just kept the name. For 28 years, the coffee shop has been a part of what we do.”

The café acts as a “third place” for the community, a gathering space distinct from work and home. For the youth involved in Coffee Oasis programs, however, it offers much more: job training and pathways to employment.

“We believe that part of restoring community is creating opportunities and pathways for youth to thrive,” Clark said. “The coffee shops really provide an opportunity in-house for us to do job training.”

Youth participating in the program receive hands-on experience as baristas and also go through an extensive job training class. The curriculum includes lessons on workplace etiquette, interviewing, résumé writing, conflict resolution, and how to communicate with a supervisor.

“It’s not just about learning how to make coffee,” Clark said. “It’s about learning how to be an employee.”

The decision to temporarily close the café earlier this year stemmed from the organization’s desire to make improvements to both the space and the training experience.

“We really felt like it was important for us to embody excellence in all that we do,” Clark said. “There were some renovation things, the countertops were coming apart, that didn’t reflect the kind of environment we wanted to offer either the youth or the community.”

With the updates complete, including help from community volunteers, the café has been completed. Staff retraining was led by a manager who previously oversaw The Coffee Oasis café in Port Orchard, which has trained the largest number of youth to date.

Clark said Coffee Oasis also helps provide resident assistants for Evergreen Bright Start, a transitional housing program for youth.

“My hope for the café over the next year is that when people think about The Coffee Oasis, they think about an excellent experience and a quality product,” Clark said. “I want us to be a place where people love to come, take a meeting, work, and know that they’re getting a consistent experience and helping a youth in the process.”