1. POP UP ‘CHAI KHANA’ TEA HOUSE
A youth led project creating social harmony and social enterprise

2. people from Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi background living in Geelong.
The POP UP ‘CHAI KHANA’ Tea House is a youth led project designed, created and hosted by young
people from Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi background living in Geelong.
This POP UP ‘CHAI KHANA’ Tea House is a youth led project designed, created and hosted by young
people from Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi background living in Geelong. The project provides the opportunity
for the young people to gain valuable employment and communication skills, as well as providing a
welcoming and interesting space where they can share their culture with the broader Geelong community.
Based on an Afghan proverb- ‘Conversation should not commence until tea is served’, the CHAI KHANA
is a space where cultural awareness and understanding is gained through tea and conservation. As
guests are welcomed into the space they are invited to share some tea, have their hand henna painted
and enjoy a conversation with the young woman hosting the space.
Please provide a brief overview of your project - this will help to give us a quick

3. POP UP ‘CHAI KHANA’ Tea House
The project provides the opportunity for young women to gain valuable employment and communication skills, as well as providing a welcoming and interesting space where they can share their culture with the broader Geelong community.
POP UP ‘CHAI KHANA’ Tea House

4. The Pop Up 'Chai Khana' is a warm, welcoming and colourful space
The Pop Up 'Chai Khana' is a warm, welcoming and colourful space. The young women involved in the
project have been directly involved in the all elements of the space including the decorations such as
cushions, rugs, tea, pots, cups and hangings. They have many more ideas for the project and other
elements they plan to add to enhance and beautify the space. They want guests to feel as if they are
being welcomed into their home in the space. The young woman have a great sense of ownership of the
project and pride in the space and enjoy sharing information about the project with guests and fielding
questions they may have. Guests are invited to sit on the cushions and relax - having their hand painted
and drinking tea ensures that there is time enough for conversation to develop beyond a quick greeting.

5. Based on an Afghan proverb-
‘Conversation should not
commence
till tea is
served’

6. Celebrating culture
Need identified by young people from refugee backgrounds to increase cultural celebrations to provide opportunities for Australian born residents to embrace diversity,
provide young people the opportunity to celebrate their culture and increase Geelong's sense of multiculturalism.
CALD YOUTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT 2015
(City of Greater Geelong)
In the recent CALD Youth Needs Assessment report (CoGG) young people highlighted that culture is very important and have a strong desire for the broader community to understand and experience this.
The report recommended increasing opportunities for cultural celebrations to provide opportunities for Australian born residents to embrace diversity, provide young people the opportunity to celebrate their culture and increase Geelong's sense of multiculturalism.
By building greater cultural awareness and community connectedness these strategies also directly address the impeded sense of community safety and racism faced by young people particularly from newly arrived communities that Diversitat supports.

7. A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being—this may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for external shareholders. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit, and may take the form of a co-operative, mutual organization, a disregarded entity, a social business, a benefit corporation, a community interest company or a charity organization. They can also take more conventional structures. What differentiates social enterprises is that their social mission is as core to their success as any potential profit.
The 'Chai Khana' has a demonstrated high level of community engagement and involvement and aims
to expand this further. This project currently engages twelve young woman and plans to engage more
young woman as the project over the next six months. The families and communities of the projects
participants are familiar with and supportive of the project and have enjoyed attending previous events.
Eg: at last years SKAART festival many of the older women said the CHAI KHANA made them feel more
comfortable at the event. The CHAI KHANA project links with the Multicultural Youth Network Geelong
that support and promote the project. It also links with local high schools i.e.: for the project launch in
2015 the students of North Geelong Secondary College grew and supplied the mint leaves for the tea
and a group of VCAL students at Christian College worked alongside the CHAI KHANA group to design
and make the light boxes that formed the walls of the tea house. In its next phase the project will continue
to promote the project and reach more members of the community at many varied events.

8. Since the project first 'popped up' at Geelong After Dark in 2015 it has received a very positive response. It has been booked at various community events, markets and festivals since including the Victorian Leadership Forum at Geelong Town Hall, SKAART Youth Festival and the Geelong Regional Library and Heritage Centre. The Pop Up ‘CHAI KHANA’ has three events booked for the coming month.
Since the project first 'popped up' at Geelong After Dark in 2015 it has received a very positive response. It has been booked at various community events, markets and festivals since including the Victorian Leadership Forum at Geelong Town Hall, SKAART Youth Festival and the Geelong Regional Library and Heritage Centre. The Pop Up ‘CHAI KHANA’ has three events booked for the coming month.

9. A previous guest at the CHAI KHANA stated that it was the first time they had met someone who had arrived in Geelong as a refugee and commented that that had “learnt so much about Afghan culture chatting to the lovely young women”.
Since its launch fourteen young women have been engaged and employed through the project however at most events
between 4-8 host the space depending on the size of the event- so all of the young woman have the opportunity to
host depending on their availability.
The young woman have a great sense of ownership of the project and pride in the space - they enjoy sharing
information about the project with guests and fielding questions they may have.  
Guests are invited to sit on the cushions and relax - having their hand painted and drinking tea ensures that
there is time enough for conversation to develop beyond a quick greeting.

10. The plan for the coming 12 months is to support the 'Chai Khana' project further develop as a micro social enterprise.
strengthen the project by enhancing the "Pop Up' and to put into action the ideas the young woman have to develop the project,
including the production of a small booklet that features details about
the project, information on the cultural backgrounds of the
participants; and the types of tea and henna designs
expand the project to reach more members of the community- 'popping up' a minimum of twice monthly at a variety of community
events and gatherings
- run three workshops for the young woman to create additional elements for the space
- support the young woman to develop skills required to operate and sustain the project independently as a business within 12 months including relevant training
Diversitat has been supporting this group of young woman launch and pilot this project for over twelve months.  
The project plan for next twelve months for the 'Chai Khana' is to:
- strengthen the project by enhancing the "Pop Up' and to put into action the ideas the young woman
have to develop the project, including the production of a small booklet that features details about the
project, information on the cultural backgrounds of the participants; and the types of tea and henna designs
- expand the project to reach more members of the community- 'popping up' a minimum of twice
monthly at a variety of community events and gatherings
- run three workshops for the young woman to create additional elements for the space
- support the young woman to develop skills required to operate and sustain the project independently as a business
within 12 months including relevant training
Future project plans for social enterprise development and sustainability