Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello founded Cafe Stepping Stone to help migrant and refugee women find meaningful employment.(Facebook: Australian of the Year Awards)
Ten years ago, the proverb be the change you want to see in the world inspired Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello to start harnessing the power of hospitality to help others.
Along with another friend, the pair started a cafe in Colombia where, over three years, they trained more than 40 youth living in poverty.
That venture was forced to close in 2020 when COVID-19 hit, but Ms Brettell and Ms Costello went on to create a new social enterprise in their hometown of Canberra, this time with a focus on migrant and refugee women.
We employ and train CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) women from migrant and refugee backgrounds for whom the workplace participation rate is less than 50 per cent as they face multiple barriers to employment, Ms Brettell said.
We help women from war-affected areas who have experienced unspeakable trauma and loss and who arrive in Australia full of hope for a fresh start only to face new challenges.
Finding economic security, community, support and a sense of belonging is hard and often women can become very isolated and vulnerable.
Those challenges were, Ms Brettell said, experienced by her own grandmother when she migrated to Australia with her husband and two children in the 1960s.
She now hopes to help minimise them for others.
It was quite a difficult journey for my grandmother who had lower levels of English and education, Ms Brettell said.
She struggled to just find a place where she could just grow and develop and form a community and be part of Australian society.
Cafe Stepping Stone
Ms Brettell, 31, and Ms Costello, 32, started Cafe Stepping Stone, a sustainable vegetarian cafe with two locations — Strathnairn Arts Homestead and Dickson — where workers receive on-the-job learning and qualifications through registered training organisations.
Their inclusive employment practices target female workers who are the sole income earners in their household, newly arrived in Australia, experiencing homelessness, know limited English, or have minimal employment history.
Cafe Stepping Stone has employed more than 60 women over four years.(Supplied)
They're beautiful souls and they have everything within them. They just need the opportunity or the helping hand of someone so that they have the opportunity to unlock that, Ms Costello said.
It's amazing working with them every day.
Through their work in the cafe, the women also share their knowledge and culture, contributing recipes to the cafe menus.
Cafe Stepping Stone employs women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.(Facebook: Cafe Stepping Stone)
Over the past four years Cafe Stepping Stone has employed and trained more than 60 women.
For most, this is their first job, Ms Brettell said.
After working with us, they've increased financial security, but also confidence, skills, the ability to speak English and make connections out of the home.
They now have autonomy over their path forward.
Cafe Stepping Stone's chef Nan completed her Certificate III in Hospitality in December, her first formal education certificate.(Facebook: Cafe Stepping Stone)
One of those women, Nan, had no formal kitchen experience when she started, but now she runs one of the cafe's kitchens.
It's amazing to have seen that development and the stability of having employment over four years. And having that steady income has really provided her with that safety net to provide for her children and family as well, Ms Brettell said.
Ms Brettell and Ms Costello also run a range of events through Stepping Stone with a focus on social justice and community connection, including afternoon craft sessions, silent books clubs and a monthly menopause cafe.
The social connections that [the women] make with people in the workplace [are] one of the biggest benefits that we've seen, Ms Costello said.
A lot of our ladies have said that they felt quite isolated at home and would only see family, but being able to be an active member of the community has really helped them.
Australia's Local Heroes
Last nightMs Brettell and Ms Costello were jointly named Australia's Local Heroes for 2025 at the Australian of the Year Awards in Canberra.
The pair now hope to continue growing Stepping Stone to provide more training opportunities for more women, and say they will continue to champion the benefits of work integration social enterprise.
Local Heroes Hannah Costello (left) and Vanessa Brettell during the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)
We believe that for-profit enterprise is an old-fashioned way of doing things, Ms Brettell said.
We really need to start putting people and planet before profit and just using the profits that businesses make to achieve social development and goals.
We also want to be a voice for migrant and refugee women who are having difficulties in their settlement process in Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-26/aoty-local-heroes-stepping-stone-social-enterprise/104860802
