The experience of volunteering for Shanghai Young Bakers

在海上青焙坊做志愿者的体验

I started volunteering for Shanghai Young Bakers from March this year. There are several kinds of volunteer jobs you can choose to do in Shanghai Young Bakers, such as translators, photographers, and promoters in the markets. Amongst those the most needed one in quantity is volunteering in the market to sell the bakery the students made during the current week, meanwhile promoting the social enterprise part and gaining more awareness of the program. I can still remember the first experience I had with SYB: I went for the morning shift at Tianzifang market, stood for around 3 hours, talked a lot but didn’t sell much. I bought half of a toast with walnut and black sugar in it when my shift was over. It was so delicious that I regretted very much I only bought half.

我是从今年3月才开始在海上青焙坊做志愿者的。我们其实有很多种志愿者职位，可以帮忙翻译文章，帮公开课拍照片，还有在集市上帮忙卖这个星期学生上课做出来的产品并且推广海上青焙坊这个项目。需求量最大的就是集市的志愿者，我就是从这个开始的。我还记得第一次去集市是在田子坊，上午去的，站了3个小时吧，跟很多人聊了天但是没卖出去多少东西。走的时候我买了半个有核桃和红糖的吐司，回去发觉太好吃了后悔自己只买了半个。

Then I got involved deeper. I built a good relationship with the markets coordinator Wuhao, and was at the market with SYB selling their products nearly every weekend. I got to know more of the program, about how they started and developed it, what criteria they use to select the students, how they trained them to adapt to a totally new environment, how the graduates’ lives were. They built a sustainable receiving and giving model by selecting the excellent graduates to train and advance their baking skills in France, and having them come back to teach the new students. Nearly all the ingredients they use are directly imported from the French sponsors, only except eggs and salt from China and Sugar from Korea. And currently SYB’s got around 25% of the program supported by social enterprise part containing Markets, public classes, team building events, catering, bread & cake baskets, and professional training and services. The deeper I got involved, the more faith I had in this program. When Wuhao’s internship ended, I had the honor to take the offer to be the new Markets Coordinator for a year.

然后我就参与得越来越深入了。我和当时的市场协调员，（萌萌的）吴昊搞好了关系，几乎每个周末都去集市帮忙。我也越来越多地了解了这个项目，包括青焙坊的起源和发展，怎么样选择学生，怎么样教学生适应新环境，还有毕业生的生活状态怎么样。青焙坊采用了一个很有持续性的接受与回馈的模式，把优秀的学生送到法国再培训精进烘焙技艺，再让ta们回来教学。青焙坊的原材料也大多是法国供应商直接提供，只有盐和鸡蛋来自中国，糖来自韩国。现在这个项目25%左右是靠社会企业部分提供的烘焙课程，团队建设活动，面包&蛋糕篮子，集市售卖以及专业的培训及烘焙服务来支持的。我了解得越深入，就越对这个项目有信心。所以当吴昊的实习期满时，我有幸接下了市场协调员的职位。

I always believe that no matter it is a paid or a volunteer job, believing or not in the program and product makes a huge difference. Shanghai Young Bakers is a program that I know really benefits the youngster enrolled in it. During the 8 months working closely with the team and the markets, I see how they interact with each other, how close they are, and how much change SYB program made on the students. I learnt a lot from the team, the students/ graduates and the customers in the market. And a very important thing to a foodie like me is, SYB’s got the best baguette in Shanghai! And the best French pastry! They are so awesome that I gained 4 kilos since March!

我一直相信，不管你的工作是有偿还是无偿的，你对所做的项目和产品相不相信对于工作效果会产生极大的影响。海上青焙坊是一个我确知对于这些年轻人有益的项目。在过去的8个月和这个团队以及集市的紧密合作中，我看到团队成员和学生们的亲近程度，ta们的互动，青焙坊的教育给学生们带来的改变。我从青焙坊团队，学生，毕业生以及集市上的顾客身上都学到了很多的东西。还有很重要的一点是，我们有全上海最好吃的法棍！还有最好吃的法式甜点！它们都太好吃了，于是我八个月涨了八斤！

Besides the 4 kilos’ weight I am still struggling with, I got to know how a foreign NGO operates in China as well as the operation of the markets. The frequent exposure in the markets got me information about a lot other local and foreign NGOs and knowledge about the minority, the underprivileged group and the invisible part of the society. I made a couple of friends who believe in the same thing as I do through the SYB activities; the conversations I had with them are gradually changing my life. I learnt to communicate with different kinds of people while coordinating the volunteers and selling products/ our program in the market. Most importantly, I believe more and more firmly during these 8 months, although this is not an ideal world we are living in now, there are people who believe in themselves trying their best to better it. If you join us, you are one of them.

除了现在我还在与之斗争的八斤肉以外，我还学了些正经事。我慢慢开始了解外国的非营利组织在中国的营运，还有集市如何营运。我也了解到了更多的中外非营利组织的情况，以及一些针对我之前根本没有注意过的弱势群体的项目。我也在青焙坊的活动上认识了一些志同道合的朋友，她们跟我的互动已经在改变我的生活。我也在集市上学会了跟不同种类型的人进行沟通，以及如何针对性地宣传我们的项目和产品。最重要的是，在这8个月里，我越来越坚定地相信，虽然现在我们的世界并不理想，但是有很多人相信自己并尽ta们最大的努力在改变它。如果你加入我们，你就是其中的一员。

Joy Lin, Markets Coordinator

林三山，集市协调