SMU’s MPA students (May 2018 intake) partnered with Association for Persons with Special Needs (ASPN) to take part in a baking session at Chai Chee Community in April 2019. The baking session was organised as part of SMU’s corporate social responsibility efforts to support ASPN, which is a social service organisation providing special education for persons with mild intellectual disability, benefiting over 1,200 beneficiaries each year.
Learning from the beneficiaries
The MPA students learned how to bake and pack cookies under the guidance of the beneficiaries. From using the right amount of ingredients, to rolling the dough, to packing the cookies, the beneficiaries taught and made sure that everyone was doing it right.
Supporting by Paying It Forward
Besides having lunch at the ASPN Café – in collaboration with Astons Express, which is run and staffed by trainees with special needs, the MPA students also took part in The Pay it Forward initiative that allows customers to pay for an underprivileged trainee’s meal in advance.
Seeing Things through Different Perspectives
Through this programme, the MPA students were able to interact with the beneficiaries and see things from their perspectives. By connecting with them, we learned about their needs, goals, aspirations and efforts in making a difference in our society. Although the beneficiaries may be facing difficulties in work and life, they could overcome challenges with adequate support, and have the capabilities to lead fulfilling lives.
“The baking session at APSN Centre was a truly fun and meaningful event. Through this activity, I not only learned the process and skills of baking the cookies from scratch, but it also deepened my understanding of the APSN Centre and how it helps people with special needs to adapt and integrate into the society," shared Jixiang, MPA May Intake 2018.
