WeInclusivity x Flour Power
WeInclusivity is an advocacy service-learning project under the module Community Psychology to promote workplace inclusivity and employability for people with disabilities (PWDs). We collaborated with Flour Power, a social enterprise employing PWDs to produce baked goods. I served as an Assistant Leader for this project, and plan to advocate by implementing a Volunteer Baking Workshop (VBW), and a Cookie Taste-Test Booth (CTTB) alongside an Instagram marketing campaign.
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The VBW objective is to educate 5 participants on the measures needed to build an inclusive workplace through experiencing a PWD-friendly kitchen. Furthermore, the VBW provides opportunities for participants to interact with Flour Power's PWDs employees, eliminating any stigmas that the participants might have. The workshop happened on 20 December 2022, from 9 AM to 12 PM at Flour Power's kitchen with 5 participants attending.
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The purpose of CTTB is to educate the public on the challenges PWDs in the workforce regarding their productivity such as the false beliefs of PWDs producing lower-quality goods. The CTTB happened on 16 Jan 2023 with 54 participants visiting from 9 AM to 12 PM outside Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Makan Place.
WeInclusivity Instagram Page @weinclusivity
My Reflection & Contribution
I contributed to Weinclusivity by overseeing the entire CTTB planning and execution. For example, our CTTB requires 150 FP and commercial brand cookies. I then communicated with Shi Min to inform Mr. Keat of the cookies required from FP and assigned Matthias to collect them from him. Furthermore, on the execution day of CTTB, I was on-ground reallocating the supporting crew to various roles, like having Kristen and Isabelle reach out to the public instead of distributing cookies. This ensures that the CTTB can run efficiently to achieve our goal.
The implementation of WeInclusivity taught me to the importance of being kind and inclusive to vulnerable communities by helping them. Through the interaction with PWDs, I learned that PWDs are just like us, normal people. However, the discrimination against them is a result of us viewing them differently. This is beneficial because I learned the importance of being non-prejudiced and addressing discriminatory behaviors through WeInclusivity. For example, if my friends are making fun of a person from a vulnerable community, I will correct their mindset by sharing with them what I have learned from WeInclusivity. Furthermore, sharing the information with FP’s staff to motivate them can be beneficial, as creating an inclusive workplace for a prolonged period can be exhausting. For instance, if a FP’s staff is feeling frustrated while interacting with a PWD staff, having the information printed and posted around FP’s kitchen can remind the staff that they also deserve to be treated nicely. Moreover, the information can empower PWDs. To illustrate, PWDs might limit their full potential due to societal stigma. Hence, reminding them that they are not limited to their disabilities can help to reach beyond their perceived self-limitations, like going out to pursue the things they like.
