Established in Leeds, 2022
Brewing Skills, Building Futures
We transform lives through barista training, giving refugees and people facing barriers the skills and confidence to build independent futures.
Freshly roasted opportunities ☕
Start your journey
01
100+
People trained
02
5+
Café partners
03
2022
Founded in Leeds
HOPE
The Process
Three ways
we create change
Every programme is designed around one goal: giving people the skills and connections to step into fair, stable employment.
Barista Training
Our 8-week programme teaches professional coffee skills, English language, and workplace confidence.
Catering Services
Book Real Hope Leeds for events across the city. Every booking directly funds our training programmes.
Partnership
We work with cafés, restaurants, and businesses to create employment pathways for our graduates.
HISTORY
Our founders Arash & Phil
Real Lived Experience
Founded by
someone who
lived it
Real Hope Leeds was co-founded by Arash Kourjani, a former asylum seeker who experienced first-hand the barriers of exploitative informal labour.
Together with Phil Thomas, Arash built an organisation rooted in lived experience, using hospitality to open real doors.
Graduate Voice
“Real Hope gave me confidence I didn't know I had. Now I work in a café I love.”
Graduate
Real Hope Leeds Graduate
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