Skillet was created during a conversation around community, inclusion and service. It was August 2019. We were dazed after a long day, in that half-lucid state where dreams and life blur into one. We’d been mulling over the migrant experience and the importance of belonging to a community of some kind. We spoke of my brilliant parents who'd started a new life in Australia after leaving civil war. We spoke of the visible and non-visible disabilities that our loved ones experience. Of how privileged Scott was to work in the Aged Care and Disability Support space. And of our need to do more: to partner with the people in our communities to create positive change.
We circled back to questions of social interaction and what it means to be of service to others. I'll admit that we were speaking at each other at points, rather than to one another. My co-founder, Scott, and I come from very different backgrounds and our communicational differences emerge when we're tired.
With that said, we converged on key questions – painfully earnest in our inquiry.
We wondered how communities would look decades from now: demographically, occupationally and geographically. How would the experience and expertise of Senior Citizens be honoured? How could we help amplify the voices, choices and visibility of disabled Kiwis? How could we boost household incomes and create more opportunities for work in a fast-changing world??
In the world we envisioned...
Jobs would promote efficiency while championing inclusion. Regardless of identity, ability or politics, these workplaces would also be collaborative environments. Diversity of identity, perspective and lived experience would be celebrated: markers of our community and of whom we choose to be.
Skillet came from a need to see this vision through. Better described, it came from our need to improve current standards of accessibility, inclusion and choice. Skillet takes its name from the skillsets that exist in our communities. [Yep, the name also called to mind the kitchen tool accessible to every household: infinitely useful, simple in concept, and near-indestructible.]
Skillet connects you to the businesses you need in under 30 seconds. I'm proud to say that our platform was co-designed from the insights and lived experiences of People with Disabilities and Senior Citizens, and from the recommendations of businesses across New Zealand.
We’ve also ensured that Skillet can be used by others in our communities. Whether you'd like to call on one of the trusted professionals in your area or sign up to share your own skillsets and expertise, Skillet was designed with you in mind. So if you’re curious, get in touch with me at resh@skillet.co.nz. Let’s kōrero around your story.
- Resh, COO & Co-Founder of Skillet
4 January 2021