The 6th I’m Café opens, roasting hope.
(Published May 15, 2013)

The 6th I’m Café opens on May 15 on the 2nd floor of Neunggok Station Plaza in Goyang City.

◇ A signboard hanging ceremony of ‘the 6th I’m Café’, which opens on the 2nd floor of Neunggok Station Plaza in Goyang City on May 15 at 2 p.m. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon

Gyeonggi Province and Korea Racing Authority opened ‘the 6th I’m Café’ on the second floor of Neunggok Station Plaza in Goyang City on May 15 at 2 p.m.

After the first I’m Café opened in Lifelong Learning Center of Ansan City in November last year, this times is the sixth opening following the cafe in the annex of Public Service Center of Uijeongbu City, the entrance of Public Service Center of Guri City, the lobby of Korea Racing Authority head office, and KRA Horse-riding Training Center.

Opening of ‘I’m Café’ is being carried out as part of ‘Job Go Project’ aiming to create jobs for the youths with disabilities by the agreement of Gyeonggi Province and Korea Racing Authority.

This project intends to support the opening of coffee shops where the youths with disabilities who completed high-school education can find a position after barista training in order to raise public awareness by offering participating opportunities to people with developmental disabilities.

The Province started barista training for the disabled youths from March of last year, supported by Social Contribution Council of Korea Racing Authority, and produced about 50 baristas.

Starting from ‘the 1st I’m Café’ in Lifelong Learning Center of Ansan City in last November, the province opened 6 coffee shops consisting of 100% of the disabled youths in 7 months and offers stable jobs to a total of 34 people including 23 disabled youths and 11 managers.

In particular, in case of the sixth shop, it opened on the second floor of Neunggok Station Plaza in Goyang City as Gyeonggi Province’s Childcare Teacher Association Chairman Lee Man-soo (the director of Ebenezer Childcare Foundation) highly sympathized with the purpose of ‘Job Go Project’ and offered his building for free for 5 years.

The 6th shop measures 69.3㎡ (21 pyeong), and it will have 5 employees including 3 disabled youths and 2 managers.◇ The celebration performance by Holt Choir, ‘the Sound of Soul’ ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon◇ Mrs. Seol Nan-young, the wife of Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, makes a brief address at the opening ceremony of ‘the 6th I’m Café’. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon◇ The video clip delivers cerebrating messages from those who were employed in the fourth I’m Café (Gwacheon branch). ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon

In the opening ceremony of this day participated nearly 150 people including Mrs. Seol Nan-young, the wife of Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, officials from Korea Racing Authority, Holt Choir, young baristas and their parents.

The opening ceremony was divided into Part 1 and 2 following pre-ceremony event by Holt Choir. Part 1 consisted of the progress report by Social Welfare Official Gang Seung-ho, congratulatory message by Mrs. Seol Nan-young, award of appreciation plaque, certification of baristas, and video message from those who were employed in the 4th I’m Café (Gwacheon branch) in order.

The appreciation plaque was awarded to Association Chairman Lee Man-soo by Saenuri Disabled Parent’s Association Head Kim Jae-hyung, and those who completed a 1-year barista training program and were employed in the 6th branch including Jung I-wook, Kim Yong-seung, and Jo Won-hyung were granted the cap for barista certification.

One employed youth said in a video message, “I am very happy to obtain a barista certificate and even be employed while many people want to get the certificate.” He added, “I am very happy as I have been receiving warm attention and love from others since I worked for ‘I’m Café’ after employment. This job is right for me. I hope every person who was trained for barista will have a good outcome, and save money and be good to his/her parents after recruited.”

Part 2 of the opening ceremony began with tape cutting ceremony, followed by signboard hanging ceremony and coffee-making performance by the baristas with disabilities.

Mrs. Seol Nan-young said in her remarks, “I am happy to listen to beautiful songs of Holt Choir on the day with the deep scent of coffee in spring, the queen of seasons. I’d like to express my sincere congratulations to you who successfully completed difficult training program.” She also said, “Although the 6th shop opened as free leasehold, I hope it will create profits as much as it can pay rent.”

In addition, she added, “the youths with developmental disabilities reach 35,000. This place seems to become a great hope for their parents. I hope coffee shops such as ‘I’m Café’ will increase to fill up 31 cities and counties to become a hope for disabled young people and their parents, and I also hope the scent of coffee in this place will comfort you and make everyone of you happy.”

Meanwhile, the province is planning to open the seventh and eighth shop in Siheung City and Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center of Suwon City, and to open 15 I’m Cafés by 2014 to offer about 100 stable jobs to the young people with developmental disabilities. Also, it will support ‘I’m Café’ to be certified as social company by the end of this year in order to create stable jobs.◇ Tape cutting ceremony for celebrating the opening of ‘the 6th I’m Café’ ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon◇ After the certification ceremony at the opening ceremony, baristas make coffee as trial performance. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon◇ Mrs. Seol Nan-young, who drinks coffee made by baristas of ‘the 6th I’m Café’, has a talk with officials. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News / Yoo Jae-hoon

ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Lim Se-jin yh48635@nate.com

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201305151523547055C048&s_code=C048