She grew an interest in social welfare during her university days. Due to a chance opportunity where she learnt of Shanghai Young Bakers, she started volunteering and willingly helped out with various chores over a span of two years. In the two years, she saw many children who did not give up even when life was tough for them, and these children worked hard to change their future. This made her really touched, and she hoped that she would be able to continue to dedicate her life to philanthropy and help out more people. She quit her high-paying job, and worked full time in Shanghai Young Bakers. She is the second full-time employee at SYB.

 

她从大学期间开始就对社会公益事业很感兴趣，因为一次偶然的机会得知“海上青焙坊”后，她毛遂自荐，自愿帮忙处理杂务，做了两年的志愿者。在这两年的时间里，她看到了许多不被生活的困难打倒的孩子，为了改变自己的未来而积极努力。这让她非常感动，也希望可以继续投身于慈善事业，帮助更多的人。她索性辞掉原来的高薪工作，开始全职在“海上青焙坊”进行工作。她是“海上青焙坊”的第二名全职员工。

 

The change of career had a huge economic impact on her as her salary shanked. But she is not affected by it: “My current pay is about a quarter of my previous pay at the French company, based on the 2010 economy. I think that if I were to continue working there, my salary now would have been even higher.” But she has no regrets, because this job has given her a great sense of accomplishment: “I don’t need that much money. I have no children to take care of. It’s good enough if there’s enough for rent and for food. Every time I think of how I’ve changed the lives of these children at SYB, it gives me motivation to continue on.”

 

这次择业当然也让她付出巨大的经济代价：薪水大幅萎缩。不过她不在乎：“我目前的收入差不多是我当初在法企薪水的四分之一——这还是参照2010年的基准。我想，如果我继续留在那里工作，现在的薪水肯定更高。”但她并不后悔，因为在这里工作让她充满成就感：“我不需要那么多钱。我没有孩子要负担，每月付房租、够吃够喝就好了。每当我想到自己所做的可以改变这些孩子的命运，就充满动力。

She has realised: the poor can rely on their own efforts to get out of difficulties, as long as there’s someone there to help them develop their potential.

她领悟到：贫困人群可以靠自己的努力走出困境，前提是有人帮助他们开发潜力。

 

-海上青焙坊的困难-

The Shanghai Young Bakers (SYB) baking center is on the outskirts of Shanghai, set up in an old building in an industrial neighborhood straddling the border of Shanghai’s Putuo and Jiading districts. “For a lot of people, the first time they come here they will complain about how inconvenient transportation is. But here there’s a lot of quality for a relatively low price, if we were to rent a 330 square meter baking center in the city center, we would be broke.” Cecile frankly stated. 

海上青焙坊（Shanghai Young Bakers,SYB）地处上海外环线附近，设在普陀和嘉定区交界处某工业区的一栋老楼房里。“很多人第一次到这里，都跟我们抱怨交通不便。但这里性价比高，要是在市区租个330平米的烘培中心，我们就没银子了。”高凤熙坦诚地说。

One of the most challenging and stressful aspects of her job is to find funding for the training. “At any one time, we never know if we will have enough funds to continue the program the following year.” One of the things that Shanghai Young Bakers does to increase their financial stability is to organise half-day bakery teambuilding workshops. In exchange for a corporate donation, employees can learn bakery or pastry recipes and have fun together. “It’s always heartwarming to see how people and companies really want to be responsible citizens and do good, but are not sure how to.” Cecile hopes that more companies will want to support SYB in this way.

在工作中最具挑战性的也是最有压力的是寻找培训资金。 海上青焙坊的各位一直不知道明年是否有足够的资金来继续这个计划。海上青焙坊提高资金稳定性的举措之一，是为企业组织为期半天的烘焙团建活动。企业向我们提供捐赠的同时，他们的员工也可以向我们学习面包或糕点的制作，并享受烘焙和交流带来的乐趣。”“看到很多热心的人们和企业想要为我们或是整个社会出一份力，但他们不知道具体该如何去实践，我的内心总感受到一阵阵暖流。”高凤熙希望更多的热心人士可以通过上述的方式来帮助大家。

At a non-profit organization, there are more difficulties than just funding issues. There is also the need to gain corporate sponsors, to find volunteers, contact the classroom teachers, charity organisations, internships, and even to be a reliable elder sibling to the students at SYB… but Cecile is adamant on helping a lot of Chinese children achieve their future dreams.

当然做这样一个公益组织遇到的困难肯定远远不只是资金上的，争取企业赞助、召集志愿者、联系任课教师、组织义卖、联系实习单位、甚至做青春期的学生们的知心姐姐……但高凤熙用自己的肩膀扛起了很多中国孩子的未来和梦想。

-学员的故事-

First batch graduate Wang Li is now a qualified professional baker. She is passionnate about the baking industry and exudes great confidence and expertise. This is what she can never imagine before joining SYB.  

王莉是海上青焙坊的一名学员，现在的她已经是一名专业的烘焙师了，拿着不错的薪水，做着自己热爱的事业，从她的身上透出了专业精神和对自己事业的自信。这是以前的她从来都不敢想象的事情。

 

“I was awaiting my fate: to return home during Chinese New Year so my family could find me a husband, then get married and have a child. I would wait until the child was two years old, then go back to work. When the child was of the age to start school, I’d return to my hometown. I felt my life slowly slipping away, and I was terrified,” Wang Li said. It was at that time that Wang Li joined Shanghai Young bakers, and later on she was selected to further her studies in France. Throughout the process, the ever strong and competitive Wang Li met the challenges. In exchange for six months of hard work, she received a bakery diploma from EFBPA recognized worldwide. 

 “我知道等待我的命运：春节回家，家人帮我安排相亲，然后结婚生孩子；等到孩子两岁，我再出来打工。孩子到了上学年龄，我再回家带孩子。慢慢地，我的一辈子就没了。我想到这些就觉得特别恐怖，特别害怕。”王莉坦言。也是那时候她遇到了海上青焙坊，并通过自己的努力和执着获得了去法国学习的机会。这之中的过程绝非想想那么简单，在这个艰辛的过程中，这位好胜心强的女孩没叫过苦。她的努力换来一张全世界通行的法国职业烘焙证书。

 

“I can tell at a glance whether or not bread has additives. Bread with additives looks really great and smells really great, but lacks in flavor. For bread without additives, the appearance might have some minor flaws and a more subtle aroma, but the more you eat, the more flavorful it becomes,” Wang Li described to me. “I never uses additives”, she stated with confidence, which is all due to the foundational skills she built while in France.

 “一个面包有没有放添加剂，我一眼就能甄别。含添加剂的面包卖相特别好，闻起来特别香，嚼起来淡而无味。无添加剂的面包，外表可能存在微小瑕疵，闻起来味道稍微很淡，但是越嚼越香。”今天的王莉很自信，她做面包从不放添加剂。这种自信来自她在法国打下的基本功。

 

Shanghai Young Bakers has helped a lot of Chinese youth like Wang Li, thanks to SYB, they start to have their own career and dreams.  

“海上青焙坊”已经帮助了很多和王莉一样的孩子，他们开始拥有自己的事业和梦想。