On September 6, the Yangtze River Delta Charity Integration Public Welfare Forum was held in Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple. As a part of the 2024 "Shanghai Charity Week", the forum was jointly organized by the Shanghai Charity Foundation and the Shanghai Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation, with the theme of "Innovation and Integration, Star Sailing - Discussion on the Yangtze River Delta Experience of Star Youth Career Development Path", focusing on the employment problems of the elderly autism group, aiming to share and exchange successful experiences and models, and jointly promote the innovation and development of the employment of autistic youth in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Zhao Yu, Director of the Charity Promotion Division of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, Han Xiangchun, Third-level Researcher of the Political and Legal Department of the Shanghai Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Ding Feiping, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, Zhou Shanshan, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, Chen Zerui, Deputy Secretary-General of the Zhejiang Charity Federation, Ma Jie, Director of the Project Management Department of the Jiangsu Charity Federation, Jin Jing, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Putuo District Disabled Persons' Federation, Bao Yungang, Full-time Vice President of the Minhang District Representative Office of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, Yang Xiaoyan, vice chairman of the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation Spiritual Relatives and Friends Association, Yuan Ming, a famous host and honorary director of Shanghai Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation, Hui Jue, director and secretary general of Shanghai Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation, and more than 100 caring people from all walks of life attended the event, and Yu Lan, the host of the Voice of the Yangtze River Delta, served as the host of the forum.
Build consensus and open a new chapter of linkage
As a member of the Yangtze River Delta region, Shanghai has always adhered to the concept of "a city built by the people and for the people", and regards the employment of the disabled as an important part of urban development. Zhao Yu, Director of the Charity Promotion Division of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, said in his speech that the employment of older autistic youth is not only the realization of personal value, but also the embodiment of social fairness and justice, and an indispensable part of building a harmonious and inclusive society.
Ding Feiping, Vice Chairman of Shanghai Charity Foundation, pointed out in his speech that the Yangtze River Delta region, as an important engine of China's economic development, has the responsibility and ability to play a leading role in promoting the employment of older autistic youth, and explore a feasible and fruitful path. This is precisely the purpose of this forum.
In the warm applause, the forum ushered in an important moment - the launch ceremony of the initiative on promoting the employment linkage mechanism of autistic youth in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Yuan Ming, a well-known host and honorary director of Shanghai Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation, served as the representative of the publisher to read out the proposal. The employment rate of adults with autism in China is less than 10 percent, and the actual figure may be lower than 10 percent, according to the initiative. The challenges faced by the elderly autism group in employment urgently need the joint attention of the government, enterprises, social organizations, caring people and other sectors of society.
The linkage mechanism was launched in the context of the Yangtze River Delta Charity Integration Cooperation Mechanism, aiming to build a comprehensive and multi-level employment support system for autistic youth through regional cooperation and integration of resources, so as to promote the employment of autistic youth and realize their social integration and self-worth.
Leaders from the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, the Shanghai Putuo District Disabled Persons' Federation, the Shanghai Charity Foundation, the Jiangsu Charity Federation, the Zhejiang Charity Federation and the Shanghai Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation signed the proposal and announced the official release of the linkage mechanism.
Practice and explore new ideas for common development
In the guest sharing session, experts and practitioners from different fields conducted in-depth exchanges on the employment of older autistic youth.
Bao Yungang, full-time vice president of the Minhang District Representative Office of Shanghai Charity Foundation, shared the theme of "Political and Social Cooperation to Promote Employment Assistance for the Elderly with Autism", and introduced the construction of the assistance system for autism groups in Minhang District, Shanghai. As one of the paid social service practice bases for autism groups in Minhang District, "Liangba Coffee" currently has nearly 100 franchise stores, providing dozens of jobs.
Dr. Jia Ying, General Manager of Inclusion Factory, introduced their exploration of the integration of mental disabilities and employment in the past ten years from the perspective of social enterprises. Inclusion is a charitable enterprise established by local foreign companies in Taicang to provide job opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities across the country. At its peak in 2023, Inclusion directly employed 47 employees with mental disabilities. This number will be reduced to 41 in 2024, but for Inclusion it is a sign of progress in their exploration: some employees with mental disabilities have left Inclusion and are recommended for employment in other companies, realizing the continuous development from home to workshop to broader employment space.
Based on the practice of the Rongai Star Noodle Restaurant project, He Jian, director of Zhejiang Hailiang Rong Ai Ai Love Employment Service Center for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, shared the "Practice and Research of PCF in Integrated Employment", and introduced how the "Partner+Colleague+Friend" model helps people with mental disabilities adapt to the environment, grow and develop and receive emotional support in the workplace. He Jian pointed out that employment is not only a means of making a living, but also an important way for people with mental disabilities to realize their self-worth and improve their well-being.
Zhu Xin, Deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation, shared his exploration of the integration and employment path of older autistic people based on the "Little Star Meaning" project. Since the launch of the "Dots of Xingyi" employment practice public welfare project for autistic people in 2021, it has been committed to building a linkage network for autistic employment practice support, signed 6 public welfare practice bases, and provided professional skills training and employment training for autistic students from the perspective of employers, and has helped 32 students to set foot on the job. In addition, together with the Shanghai Charity Foundation, Juequn Cultural and Educational Foundation has launched three social initiatives, including the "Initiative on Promoting the Employment Linkage Mechanism of Autistic Youth in the Yangtze River Delta Region", which is committed to building a richer social support system for the autistic community.
Exchanges and mutual enlightenment Take the first step towards employment
Yang Xiaoyan, the initiator of the Blue Ribbon Action and vice chairman of the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation Spiritual Family and Friends Association, moderated the roundtable exchange session, and Zhang Jin, former party secretary and principal of Ganlin Primary Vocational and Technical School in Putuo District, Shanghai, Li Ming, general manager of Mobi World China in Germany, Chen Rongdong, chairman of Wujing Huiling Community Disability Service Center in Minhang District, Shanghai, and Wu Hong, parent of young people on the autism spectrum, as representatives of schools, enterprises, societies and families, launched a heated discussion on the theme of "how to take the first step in the employment of star youth".
Zhang Jin pointed out that occupation and labor are closely related, and schools and families need to cultivate children's labor consciousness and labor habits from an early age. Taking the "Cleaning Service Training Project" carried out by Gan Lin as an example, this paper introduces in detail how special schools can build a truly effective training system for students with autism at the school stage, so that students can be prepared to enter the society from the skills and psychology.
Chen Rongdong affirmed the detailed and effective training and education provided by special schools for autistic children, but he also pointed out that there is a gap between the current alliance between social organizations and schools, and he hopes that the government departments can take the lead in establishing a "talent pool" for autistic groups and open it to enterprises that are willing to accept people with mental disabilities. He also hopes that social organizations in different regions can unite to build a more efficient service network through the sharing of resources and information.
As an enterprise that has incorporated integrated employment into its development principles from the beginning of its establishment, Li Ming said that Germany will carry out a variety of professional training and guidance, which is not only for people with mental disabilities, but for all employees, because integration is two-way, and compared with changing the "star youth", what needs to be changed more is the employment environment provided by the enterprise.
Wu Hong's daughter suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a type of autism spectrum disorder, and since her sheltered employment internship in 2018, Wu Hong has helped her daughter try to find employment in various forms and eventually became an employee of Mobi Germany. She shared the difficulties she and her daughter encountered in this process, pointed out that the employment of autistic youth is an ongoing problem, and called on the society to give them more tolerance and understanding.
During the exchange, the guests also raised a common problem, due to the absence of the role of employment counselor, there is a lack of continuous and professional support for autism after entering the workplace. At present, it is often the school teachers or parents themselves who take on this role, but the number of school teachers is limited, there are emotional factors among parents, and both lack of knowledge of enterprise employment and psychology, so they cannot completely replace employment counselors. However, this is a complex systemic problem, which still needs to be solved by continuous exploration for a longer time.
The atmosphere of the whole exchange process was warm and harmonious, and after the exchange of guests, the audience was still unsatisfied and raised their hands to ask questions to the guests. More detailed and in-depth discussions were held on and off the stage, from government policy support, to the business model of enterprises, to the details of the signing of labor contracts, etc., showing the deep concern and common expectations of all sectors of society for the employment of older autistic youth.
What's even more touching is that a young man with cerebral palsy expressed his attitude towards integrated employment as a group with mental disabilities, he said: the disease seems to close the door to the world for him, but he desperately hopes to participate in the society, people often say "360 lines", can each industry provide them with even one position?
Yang Xiaoyan ended the roundtable forum with a poem: "No one is an island/can be self-sufficient/everyone is a piece of the mainland." Autism, and mental disabilities more broadly, are an integral part of society, and we must work together to move towards a better future.
This forum provided valuable experience and enlightenment for the integration and employment of autistic youth in the Yangtze River Delta region and even the whole country. All parties will continue to strengthen cooperation and exchanges, jointly promote the development of employment for older autistic youth, and contribute more to their bright future. We look forward to seeing more "Star Youth" realize their self-worth and bloom their lives with the care and support of the society in the near future.