Jess: Building confidence, one skill at a time

When Jess first joined the workshop, about a year and a half ago, she was confident with her knife skills, until she cut her finger. The accident knocked her back, and for a while she stuck to stirring jam and peeling fruit.

Over time, her confidence returned. With steady practice and gentle encouragement, she was reintroduced to chopping and gradually built her skills again. Now she takes on a wide range of tasks: preparing carrots, slicing smaller pieces, and more recently, chopping and weighing onions. It’s a job no one loves, but Jess gets on with it: 

‘The onions make me cry, y’know. Just get on with it!’

She has learnt to feed them through the mixing machine and weigh them out independently, which is a big step on from when she started. She’s also grown more accurate with measuring ingredients, especially sugar.

Jess enjoys the mix of jobs, from jarring up to chopping and stirring:

‘I like doing jarring up, the onions and stuff and yeah, getting better skills, like chopping, like stirring and slicing.’

The skills she’s built in the workshop don’t stay there. She now helps with cooking at home, planning dinners and preparing food with her mum and a family friend.

‘I use these skills a bit at home. I cook sometimes, with my mum’s supervision. I’ve done cooking in my old college, like chopping and stuff. I like cooking and planning for dinner with my mum’s friend.’

Being in the workshop has also helped Jess grow in confidence around others. She feels more able to speak up, whether that’s communicating with instructors about a bit of spilled jam, or just chatting with staff and friends!

For Jess, it’s about more than the cooking. It’s the people, too:

‘It feels good in the workshop. Nice people, nice staff, and yeah.’

People like Jess have thrived in the Real Jam kitchen, building skills that will make measurable differences to her life. The building blocks of communication, accuracy in numbers and even basic cooking skills will enable and empower her to live a full life. 

You can support more people like Jess in our fundraiser: Spread the Jam – Spread the Impact! Running 16-30 September, donate to help us expand and offer more opportunities.