Accessing employment is a challenge facing many refugees wanting to integrate in a new country. Trampoline is a London-based café that aims to tackle this by providing refugees in the city with meaningful employment opportunities. In this episode, Rebecca Huggett, Sales Manager at Trampoline Café, joins Katherine Velastegui Córdova in discussing its mission. Rebecca shares her thoughts on the difficulties facing refugees in the labour market in the UK, the role of employment in facilitating integration, and the refugee success stories that have emerged from Trampoline’s efforts. She also reflects on the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic for refugees in the UK, and how the café tackled these, and provides advice for how young people can become involved in their local community. 

Katherine Velastegui Córdova (she/her) is an Ecuadorian MSc. Student in International Migration and Public Policy at the LSE. She holds a BSc. in Political Science and International Relations by Universidad de Las Américas (Ecuador) graduating with a full scholarship on academic merit. Her research looks at multiculturalism, migrant communities’ representation, sense of belonging, decolonial studies, and Latino diasporas. Her recent publications include Decolonial Feminism and Intersectionality: a political practice in Ecuador’s feminist movement. 

Rebecca Huggett (she/her) is the Head of Sales and Brand Development for NEMI Teas and founder of Islington-based Trampoline Café. Trampoline’s latest news publication can be found here: BBC: How barista training opens doors for refugees Evening Standard: The Islington Cafe helping solve the refugee crisis.