Suffering from autism and mild intellectual disability, Kin was a quiet guy who would just smile shyly towards everything, making it hard for others to understand him. This put him in an unfavourbale situation at work. Gladly, Kin found a job as a programme assistant in a youth centre. He managed to make a living himself. Even when some naughty boys in the centre bullied him, Kin would not tell his family but just put up with it for six years. 

 

 

However, the centre underwent job restructuring two years ago. As a result, Kin lost his job in his 30s. What else could he do? How long would it take to acquire new skills and get used to a new environment? He and his parents were worried.

 

Kin’s parents were in their 60s. They thought Kin would have a stable employment as long as he could tolerate a little. The news of losing his job caught them on the wrong foot. Feeling worried and restless, they decided to enroll Kin in the employment training programme of The Salvation Army Heng On Integrated Service for Rehabilitation, looking forward to finding some hope for their son.

 

There are always more solutions than problems. Having received different employment training at The Salvation Army, Kin finally found his real interest that could develop into a career: latte art training! It was a real challenge, but having found his life goals and directions, Kin was willing to undergo a series of training. His parents were relieved.

 

 

The first challenge in training was to enhance one’s self-care ability, which was not easy for Kin. “The first day I met Kin, his hair was a bit greasy and he didn’t dress properly,” said Tim, Kin’s tutor. “So before the lessons began, I first taught Kin the importance of personal hygiene, particularly in the F&B industry. Having been reminded several times, he really began to be aware of these details. Since then he was no longer as sloppy as before.”

 

The second challenge was to raise one’s self-requirement. Kin was a gentle person, taking a carefree attitude towards everything. However, his tutor encouraged him to seriously work towards his goal. Kin took his advice and kept practising at home. Soon, he made much progress in coffee brewing and latte art skills. “I’ll keep trying and practising the proper way to make the leaf shape.” He might make mistakes in the steps or timing, but he said that as long as he made a cup of nice coffee, he would “feel a great sense of success and satisfaction”.

 

 

With his passion and efforts, Kin won the 1st runner-up in The Salvation Army “2016 Star Coffee-making Competition” (Individual Latte Art Category). Later he started working at The Salvation Army Shatin Park Food Kiosk, where he could keep making coffee while working as a salesperson, expanding his career path. His parents are truly pleased and relieved as long as Kin has a stable job and is able to take care of himself. But Kin dreams even bigger: he wants to work in a coffee shop in the future, putting what he learnt into practice.

 

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Everybody Can Be Good for Something

 

The career paths of people with disabilities will be much wider if they are given more opportunities to explore and make use of their potentials. Funded by the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped, The Salvation Army Heng On Integrated Service for Rehabilitation implemented the “Shining Your Hearts, Our Hearts” Project, providing coffee making and latte art training for our members with an aim of increasing their employment opportunities, at the same time enhancing their self-confidence and sense of success during the course. In March 2016, the Army held the 2016 Star Coffee-making Competition with professional baristas as judges and attracted over 100 contestants.