This restaurant is giving young people a second chance | Freethink

Chef Chad Houser was a rising star in the Dallas restaurant scene, but after volunteering with kids in the criminal justice system, he felt a calling to do more. He gave up his job to start Cafe Momentum, a restaurant staffed by kids from the criminal justice system. They're given year-long paid internships where they are taught the skills to succeed in restaurants and society. It's his way of trying to fix the problems with the criminal justice system. And it works - while about half of the kids released from jail in Texas end up back there within a year, 85% of the kids who come through Cafe Momentum never go back.

This video was produced in partnership with the Stand Together Foundation.

Could this model of teaching skills and preventing recidivism be replicated in more cities? Let us know what you think in the comments.

For more stories profiling pioneers of science and tech innovation, subscribe to Freethink at    / freethinkmedia  

And follow Freethink across other platforms here:

Facebook:   / freethinkmedia  
Twitter:   / freethinkmedia  
Instagram:   / freethinkmedia  
Website: http://www.freethink.com