Convergence_V42

Inspiration
Every day, two youths are paired
to work together alongside their
supervisors. Mohd Adli said the
pairing is a "buddy system" which
ensures the teenagers learn and
adapt to new skills and environments
in a much conducivemanner. He
said high-functioning autistic
teenagers are paired with lowfunctioning
autistic teenagers to
allow both participants a chance at
developing their social skills too.
"There is still a vacuum when it
comes to employing autistic
people. We (parents) are worried
for our children. If they can't find a
job even with decent education,
who will fend for them?"
Mohd Adli said this was the reason
the cafe will remain relevant as it
becomes a place to transition. The
cafe serves as a place that allows
autistic youths to build confidence,
improve their communication skills,
pick up simple tasks such as
cooking, cleaning, taking orders
and serving food.
It has been over a year since Mohd
Adli left his corporate job to run
this cafe and he said the experiences
have been nothing short of
spectacular.
He has witnessed change in autistic
youths who have benefited from
this project. "There was a boy who
left us two months ago...I was
shopping for groceries at Tesco and
someone tapped me on my
shoulder. It was him. The boy who
barely spoke nor wanted to be
touched now works at Tesco. He
touched my shoulder and spoke to
me. These little things keep me
going. It allows me the notion that
they too can contribute to society."
Mohd Adli said the youths do not
get paid as experiences are
emphasised. But, he said a
collaboration with the local Welfare
Department is ongoing whereby
the youths will receive around
RM300 monthly for their work at
the cafe. The cafe space itself was
a blessing as Mohd Adli received
it from iM4U, a Malaysian
government initiative that focuses
on youth and volunteering activities.
The cafe serves mainly Malaysian
cuisine and requires around
RM4,000 to operate monthly with
funding primarily from catering
services it provides during
weekends or event hire by public
or private organisations. The
project is also expanding and
already has an arm that produces
shirts in Perlis and cookies in
Rawang and Kuantan. The products
are primarily made by autistic
youths.
Former Nurse, Jenny Tan and her
son, Tan Jeng Loong are also part
of the Autism Cafe Project. Jenny
said her son is a hyperactive autistic
teenager that gets bored easily and
requires tasks that involve
movements. Plus, with his passion
for food, she knew the project
would benefit the 21-year-old.
"Jeng Loong use to be a very shy
boy. He loves to talk to strangers
but strangers don't really
understand what he says. So, they
tend to avoid him." But, at this cafe,
Jenny said her son was learning to
be more confident. "The people
who visit this cafe, often those who
work around here, know of his
predicament and are more patient
around him and the others. This
allows him to grow. These days, he
isn't that shy," she said grinning
from ear to ear.
If you wish to visit the cafe, it is
located at iM4U Sentral, Jalan TPP
1/7, Taman Perindustrian Puchong,
Puchong, Selangor. It is open on
weekdays between 8:30am and
noon. Follow the Autistic Cafe
Project on Facebook and Instagram
for more updates and information.
Cookies for sale!
The cafe is open during weekdays
between 8:30am and noon
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