Real Hope Cafe Holbeck: Meet the people behind Leeds cafe helping asylum seekers and refugees become baristas

Real Hope Cafe opened in October 2022 inside St Luke’s Church in Holbeck.

It was designed to be run by asylum seekers and refugees and aims to prevent exploitation and teach new skills.

The cafe is the collaborative effort of Iranian coffee shop owner Arash Kourjani and apprenticeship programme leader, Phil Thomas.

Arash, 35, said: “I know, as a asylum seeker, there are a lot of people that take advantage of the people over here who don’t have permission. These people end up in the black market and exploited."

Beyond teaching them how to make a coffee, the cafe hopes to help volunteers develop friendships, practice their English, build confidence and teach them how to live in this country, said Arash.

Phil, manager of Real Hope Cafe, said he didn’t know much about the current living situations of refugees and asylum seekers in Leeds until he met Arash. He said: “He opened my eyes to how often people are just given handouts, which is nice but it only helps them for a short time.”

The cafe hosts sessions to ease the volunteers into life in the UK, including conversations about their rights. Phil, 46, said: “We just told them that there's such a thing as a minimum wage – most of them didn't know that. They've been taken advantage of, the cash-in-hand and paid at whatever rate, and so it's giving them information like that, that actually helps them to make a difference.”

Real Hope Cafe currently operates with 25 active volunteers from seven different countries. A few weeks ago, the cafe saw one of its volunteers get their first paid role. With hopes that this will be the first of many, the eagerness of the volunteers – some of whom come everyday – is assurance that it will be.

Iranian volunteer H, who did not want to be identified, came to the UK in 2016. He said: “Because of the non-fluent English, there is no job and that is one of the biggest problems for all asylum seekers and refugees. When you arrive in this country, it doesn’t matter what qualification or education you have. When you are here, you are nothing.”

"The only job you can get is cleaning – I can do much more,” said H. “Why do they only see me as a cleaner? No one minds the job, but if they could use us in right way, it could be beneficial for both sides, for the country and for myself.”

True to its name, the cafe is a real hope for asylum seekers and refugees, said H. The 36-year-old added: “This kind of cafe will help us fly and show ourselves – we learn some skills, we improve our knowledge, we meet people who maybe have access to work opportunities. This is a big hope for us.”

Real Hope Cafe invites people to come down and try some of Arash’s cooking and enjoy a drink, as well as take advantage of the warm environment, and accepts donations. Find out more via the cafe’s social media or by emailing [email protected].