Paul Yip
Campus catering project shows how to bring the best out of everyone by embracing diversity
Our students’ learning experience has been significantly enhanced due to the excellent environment in the new Centennial Campus. The services (including catering and recreation) available to students and staff have improved substantially. There is a greater choice of food, including produce provided by social enterprises.
For example, the Bijas, the vegetarian restaurant, provides high-quality dishes and some of the vegetables are grown on the top of buildings on the campus. Rooftop farming not only provides supplies for the restaurant but also has a cooling effect on the building. There is a buffet-type arrangement and food is charged by weight to minimise waste.
Rice and soup are provided free, so it is especially appealing for anyone looking for a filling meal on a tight budget. It is also pleasing to see they employ people with disabilities.
Another one is CAFÉ 330 in the newly furnished Chong Yuet Ming Building.
It is run by the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, a non-governmental organisation that aims to provide a comprehensive range of quality community-based rehabilitation services for people recovering from mental illness.
The restaurant has adopted a business approach in its operation, with the primary objective of providing job opportunities and training placements to people in recovery in a real work setting. Through meaningful work they can rebuild their confidence, reintegrate into the community and achieve self-reliance. The restaurant is stylishly designed, clean with good value-for-money food and friendly employees. What else can we ask for in a catering service?
People with different kinds of disabilities always face widespread stigmatisation and discrimination; they find it difficult to find a job in the competitive open market. In fact, many of them have good work abilities – they simply lack the opportunities to develop their potential to the fullest.
The university has provided a more favourable environment for these operators to do their business. There are not many successful social enterprises that can compete in an open market. But with a bit of help they can survive and prosper. They deserve to have a chance. The practice is very much in line with the university’s commitment to providing opportunities for all.
Helping the disabled to work is not just about promoting their well-being, it is an effective way to mitigate labour shortages.
In other countries there are many innovative measures to help these vulnerable individuals connect with the community by offering them real work and real wages. In Japan, young mentally disabled people are employed in elderly homes, under proper supervision and with training. They carry out their duties up to standard, if not higher.
Our university always has the best interests of the community at heart. We are proud to have the presence of these operators on our campus. We are also delighted to receive the very best students joining us for their studies. We embrace diversity to bring the best out of everyone for the betterment of Hong Kong. It is our commitment to the community.
Paul Yip is a professor of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong
This article was published on SCMP on Friday, 2 October, 2015. Please click here to find out more.