A foundation in Shanghai enrolled volunteers to act as customers and communicate with autistic baristas.
Volunteers of the Shanghai Agape Foundation went to a shop named "A-Coffee" last Wednesday to act as chat volunteers, according to the foundation.
“A-Coffee” is not an ordinary coffee shop but the first social practice base of autism in Shanghai.
Due to H1N1, only two of the four baristas who were supposed to be present showed up. They are all autistic students from Angel Bosom Friend Salon (literal translation). In addition to teaching them how to make coffee and dealing with their bad manners, teachers help them when they have difficulty communicating with "customers."
With only four kinds of drinks being provided in the café, a barista named Tongtong speaks in a low voice and with a lisp. "Customers" often have to inquire three or four times before they can place an order. After repeating this over and over again, Tongtong finally recorded the drinks guests wanted and table numbers. He went to the bar to grind coffee beans, sprinkle coffee powder, froth milk, and make latte art and soon served the coffee.
Another barista, Qiqi, is also facing communication problems. When talking with others, he often stops suddenly and looks in other directions. After repeated reminders by the teacher in charge, he can come back to his senses and look at the stranger in front of him again. But it doesn’t take long for the same thing to happen again.
Qiqi’s mother and his mother's colleagues seriously asked him to return to his seat and sit down when he suddenly left his seat.
They explained to the volunteers that when Qiqi first served there, he often ran around the venue without following the barista etiquette, and it was a huge improvement that he could sit and communicate. They insist on coming to the shop from time to time and hope that more volunteers will provide opportunities for children like him to communicate and learn knowledge in different fields.
The foundation is recruiting volunteers to accompany these autistic children for two hours every Wednesday.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
上海一基金会招募志愿者，在自闭症实践基地扮演顾客与自闭症咖啡师交流。
据上海天爱基金会， 3月15日下午，天爱志愿者们来到位于上海一家“爱·咖啡”店，体验了一次以聊天为主的志愿服务。
“爱·咖啡”不是一家普通的咖啡店，它是上海首家自闭症实践基地。
受甲流传播影响，本应到场的4位咖啡师只出现了2位，他们都是天使知音沙龙的自闭症学员。老师们，除了教咖啡师们调制咖啡、纠正礼仪，在与“顾客”交流中发生困难时，主管老师也会出来紧急“救场”。
“爱·咖啡”只提供4种饮品。咖啡师桐桐为客人点单时11说话声音很小、口齿不清，“顾客”常常要询问3、4遍后才能顺利下单。在这样一遍遍的重复中，咖啡师桐桐终于记录下了客人的饮品以及桌号，到吧台磨咖啡豆、撒咖啡粉、打奶泡、拉花，很快就端上了相应的咖啡。
另一位咖啡师琦琦的交流也面临着问题。和琦琦交谈时，他常常会突然停下，眼神望向其他方向。主管老师三番五次提醒后，他才会回过神来，重新正视眼前的陌生人，但没多久又会出现同样的情况。
陪伴琦琦一同前来的还有他的妈妈和妈妈的同事，遇到他突然离开座位的情况，她们会很严肃地要求他回座位坐好。
她们向志愿者介绍，琦琦刚来时常常不遵守咖啡师礼仪满场地跑，现在能坐着沟通已经是巨大的进步。她们会坚持来“爱·咖啡”，也希望有更多的志愿者为他一样的孩子提供沟通机会，学习不同领域的知识。
为此，上海天爱公益基金会发起招募：志愿者，每周三抽出两个小时陪伴自闭症孩子交流。
上海天爱基金会招募志愿者，陪伴自闭症孩子交流
A foundation in Shanghai enrolled volunteers to act as customers and communicate with autistic baristas.
Volunteers of the Shanghai Agape Foundation went to a shop named "A-Coffee" last Wednesday to act as chat volunteers, according to the foundation.
“A-Coffee” is not an ordinary coffee shop but the first social practice base of autism in Shanghai.
Due to H1N1, only two of the four baristas who were supposed to be present showed up. They are all autistic students from Angel Bosom Friend Salon (literal translation). In addition to teaching them how to make coffee and dealing with their bad manners, teachers help them when they have difficulty communicating with "customers."
With only four kinds of drinks being provided in the café, a barista named Tongtong speaks in a low voice and with a lisp. "Customers" often have to inquire three or four times before they can place an order. After repeating this over and over again, Tongtong finally recorded the drinks guests wanted and table numbers. He went to the bar to grind coffee beans, sprinkle coffee powder, froth milk, and make latte art and soon served the coffee.
Another barista, Qiqi, is also facing communication problems. When talking with others, he often stops suddenly and looks in other directions. After repeated reminders by the teacher in charge, he can come back to his senses and look at the stranger in front of him again. But it doesn’t take long for the same thing to happen again.
Qiqi’s mother and his mother's colleagues seriously asked him to return to his seat and sit down when he suddenly left his seat.
They explained to the volunteers that when Qiqi first served there, he often ran around the venue without following the barista etiquette, and it was a huge improvement that he could sit and communicate. They insist on coming to the shop from time to time and hope that more volunteers will provide opportunities for children like him to communicate and learn knowledge in different fields.
The foundation is recruiting volunteers to accompany these autistic children for two hours every Wednesday.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Shanghai Foundation Recruits Volunteers to Talk With Autistic Baristas
