Social Enterprise aids Vulnerable return to Society
To promote the positive image and workability of people with disabilities, some rehabilitation organisations have set up "social enterprise" in recent years. A "social enterprise" is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the service or in the community.
"Social enterprise" aims at providing a close-to-market workplace and training environment, helps them to reconstruct self-confidence, build up workability, improve quality of life and make good preparation for reintegrating to the society. Commonly seen social enterprises include catering, convenience stores, car beauty service, floral arrangement, printing and graphic design, etc.
In order to deepen business sector’s understanding of the "social enterprise", "Caring Company Scheme" has arranged a half-day community visitation on June 28, 2005 to introduce the concept and operation modes of “social enterprise” to the participants. Through the visitation, we hope some collaborative projects will be inspired and further cooperation of business and social service sectors can be facilitated.
On that day, we first visited Flower Workshop & First Sense Design organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth. To start with, Mr. Eddie Suen gave us a brief introduction of the organization, then the managers of Flower Workshop & First Sense Design led us tour around the workplace and introduced their business modes. In addition, they showed us staff's job portfolio, which included advertisement design, promotional leaflets of famous brands and corporate collaterals of listed companies. The organisation is now planning to set up another creative social enterprise, to give chances to disabled to make use of their skills and talents.
After an hour at HKFHY, we continued the visit to New Life Restaurant, which is organized by New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. We had the honor to have Ms Deborah Wan, JP, Chief Executive Officer of NLPRA to give us an overview of operating social enterprise, and guided us around the restaurant and kitchen. We saw how they prepared food and cleaned up the premises. Afterwards, the staff served us delicious tea sets, which included different kinds of beverages, like red bean cooler, and assorted cakes. The manager, Mr. Chuen, told us that the restaurant could supply over 300 lunch sets during peak hours in weekdays.
Lastly, we paid a visit to the New Life Healthy Living Specialty Shop, located at Tai Wai Station, Ma On Shan Rail. The shop sells mainly organic vegetables planted by ex-mentally ill persons, herbal tea and other healthy food products. The shop has no difference with other retail store; staff greeted and introduced products to customers cheerfully and patiently. It was the peak hour while we were there and the shop was full of customers, but still staff there were capable to handle the situation well.
At around 6pm, we ended the visit after taking group photos. During the visitation, participants showed interest in the service projects, and they rose out questions actively. Participants from the business sector told us that they had more throughout understanding of the concept of social enterprise after this visitation; some even said they would soon propose to give suitable works and job orders to the disabled or ex-mentally ill persons. This is undoubtedly the purpose of the Caring Company Scheme in organizing community visit, we hope the business sector can recognise the workability of people with disabilities, offer them more work opportunities and help them reintegrate into the society eventually.
About The Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth
The Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth was established in 1970. The flower workshop & First Sense Design are its social enterprises. Through providing floral design & retail services, and professional desktop design & printing service to the business sector, government departments and schools, the working opportunities of people with disabilities are enhanced.
About The New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
The New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association was organised and run by a group of ex-mental patients 1965. Its "social enterprise" provides a real, open & inclusive working environment for people will mental illness and the disadvantaged groups. All these can enhance their reintegration into the society and the empowerment of being self-reliance.
Staff of Flower Workshop is making a flower display
Viewing the job portfolio of First Sense Design
Staff of First Sense Design is finishing an advertisement design
Staff of new life restaurant is preparing food
Ms Deborah Wan, JP, Chief Executive Officer (Right) and Mr Chuen Chi Man (Middle) of NLPRA are briefing the operations
Staff of Specialty Shop is introducing products patiently
Group picture of participants with some staff