Part of Kibble Education and Care Centre
"Thank you for our wonderful trip to Project OsKar." - School Pupil

 

My Mission

 

Project OsKar has three main objectives

 

  1. Reduce the quantity of waste going to landfill in Renfrewshire.
  1. Offer employment, training and stability to young people in Renfrewshire, particularly those young people furthest from the job market.
  1. Supply good value household items for sale to members of the public, particularly low income families or housing association customers.

Reduce Landfill

 

The first objective of Project OsKar is to reduce the quantity of waste going to landfill in the Renfrewshire area. This directive comes from Europe and we are working in close partnership with Renfrewshire Council Environmental Department to assist them as much as we can to meet their Landfill Diversion Targets on an ongoing basis. In essence, each Council in the UK is now targeted with reducing the amount of waste they send to Landfill for disposal on an annual basis. While Renfrewshire Council is already ahead of their 2015 targets, the Council remains pro-active in bettering their already impressive record on this objective. To this end, the Council and Project OsKar are working on a mutually beneficial basis–

    1. The Council has an outlet for household items that would otherwise end up in landfill.


      2.
    2. Project OsKar has a feed stock for suitable items. Suitable items are items that are being discarded by their present owner but which still potentially have a useful life elsewhere.
Project OsKar will regenerate the items we receive from the Civic Amenity sites and these items will ultimately be offered for sale through OsKar's Emporium in Renfrewshire. In addition to the collections from Civic Amenity sites, Project OsKar will also be looking for donations from the general public, charities, community groups, etc. in the Renfrewshire and surrounding areas. We offer a collection service but members of the public are also more than welcome to bring their own items to Project OsKar in Paisley.

Offer Employment

 

Project OsKar comes under the broader umbrella of KIBBLE – an organisation long associated with the welfare and care of young people in and around Renfrewshire. The objective of Project OsKar is simple – to give an opportunity and chance to young people who, for many various reasons, may otherwise not be afforded the chance to achieve. Project OsKar employs young people on many tasks across the entire project, from collecting the donated items to selling them and every step of their journey along the way. Young people are employed by the Project and must adhere to all conditions associated with full time employment. Project OsKar is a social enterprise and must be a viable option for an ongoing project so each and every member of the team must pull their weight! Training is wide and all young people are directed to the courses and skills most associated with their particular role in the project. These skills can vary widely from fork lift training courses to administration duties with relevant skills being taught. As the remit of Project OsKar has widened to cover all new market opportunities, so the variety of required skills has increased. To this end, the success of Project OsKar ensures ongoing opportunities for young people in Renfrewshire.

Supply good value furniture /Household goods, etc.

 

A demand was identified at the business planning stages of Project OsKar that underlined the market for good value quality second hand household furniture. The aim of the project is to sell only items that are desirable and this often entails upgrading or reconditioning the materials that we receive into Project OsKar as donations. This “upcycling” of furniture offers more opportunities for training and employment of young people in areas such as joinery, upholstering, etc. The resulting products are offered for sale in OsKar’s Emporium, which aims to provide good quality products at reasonable prices that will be affordable for families and individuals on low incomes and who are perhaps starting out with a completely empty house. The market to which we will sell our products is in no way restricted and we welcome visits to the show room from members of the public. This revenue stream is critical to the success of the project. As part of our remit, however, we are committed to assisting those who are struggling with the furnishing of a new property and to this end we work in close partnership with Housing Associations and Council Housing Departments to support those with the most immediate needs. We have developed agreements with several partners that include the team from Project OsKar going into vacant properties and making them ready for the new tenants. Our remit has broadened to now cover:

Painting

Decorating

Carpeting

Cleaning

Gardening

Furnishing

In essence we will take a property from whatever state the previous tenant left it, to produce a welcoming new home for the new tenants. We actively encourage the new tenants to interact with us throughout this process in terms of choosing colour schemes, itemising their specific furniture requirements, etc. All this is aimed at ensuring a sustained tenancy for the new occupants of a property. We have found that by involving the new tenants from an early stage, this improves the chances of a sustained tenancy.