china everbright limited helps intellectually impaired students explore interests and enhance employment skills through launching “latte art workshop”
china everbright limited’s (“everbright”, stock code: 165.hk) volunteer team visited po leung kik anita l.l. chan (centenary) school on 3 may 2019, caring for students who have special educational needs, such as students who are mentally handicapped, intellectually impaired or autistic, among other special needs. in order to strengthen their communication skills, enhance their social networking ability and help them integrate better into the society, everbright and handson hong kong, a local non-profit organization, jointly launched “latte art workshop”. the workshop stimulated students’ interests in latte art by teaching them new skills through professional instructors and gearing them up for employment.
employment is a big challenge for the students who have special educational needs, but their skills and ability for employment can be highly enhanced through different kinds of employment training. with the increasing popularity of coffee culture in recent years, there is a strong demand for professional baristas. in the workshop, volunteers learnt basic latte art skills alongside students who will be entering the job market soon. under the guidance of latte art instructor, every student made a unique and appealing latte art pattern, building their confidence and inspiring them to consider different vocational directions.
volunteers were impressed by students’ creativity and talent, gaining a deeper understanding of students with special educational needs. the participants enjoyed afternoon tea together after the event.
participants’ testimony:
“i think this voluntary activity is very meaningful. it provided me with the opportunity to communicate with students who have special educational needs and their tutors, and helped me learn how to distinguish between children with moderate intellectual disability and children with autism.” – christy chan, strategic management department at everbright
“making 3d latte art is not an easy task for the general public. however, these intellectually impaired students were capable of concentrating on creating unique patterns. people generally think of sheltered workshops as the main career path for most students with intellectual disabilities. activities like latte art workshop allow these students to further explore their interests and expand their employment skills, which is very meaningful.” – eunice lee of everbright haiyin fund
“i am very pleased to be able to join this volunteering event of latte art workshop with other everbright colleagues. in this event, we proactively participated in the assigned tasks and completed them whilst tackling all the difficulties that came with them, which was very encouraging. our colleagues, together with other volunteers and tutors, worked seamlessly to showcase everbright’s team spirit. the event also helped us learn more about different groups’ needs in the society, and encouraged different communities to care for different vulnerable groups to build a harmonious society.”-- yuk ki so, china everbright group
“i am glad to have been invited to this volunteering event, which helped me to understand more about children with intellectual disabilities. prior to the event, i felt a little bit hesitant, as my overactive imagination had me worried about uncontrollable situations or potential accidents because i have seldom had the chance to communicate with those who have intellectual disabilities. however, after spending time with them face to face, i found they are more disciplined and polite compared to normal students. in addition, i was very touched by the hong kong teacher dream fund mentioned by teacher ng, which helps intellectually impaired children to set up life goals. teacher ng also aids their integration into society by helping them discover their career interests through different ways, which is especially meaningful because it expands their options for their future prospects. i was so impressed, and felt it was very worthwhile to have taken part in this event.” – tsang man yan of china everbright international
