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南都记者 刘素楠
2008年，12个法国年轻人想为上海做些有意义的事情，他们成立海上青焙坊，教困难家庭的孩子学习烤面包，正宗的法式烘焙技术。当时，这是中国唯一一个法式烘焙培训。
他们将中国贫困青年送到法国学习，将他们送进五星级大酒店，他们连接N G O、企业和中国最穷困的青年，改变命运带来的苦痛。
父亲出事，家道中落，当时年纪还小的张政海兄弟俩上不起学。一个叫做“马大夫之家”的法国慈善机构来到了村子里，资助他和弟弟上学。上到大专的时候，张政海因为不太喜欢自己的学校，断然退学，去南方打工。但打工的生活也没有想象的好，张政海感到自己的梦想被工厂的生产流水线吞噬了，日复一日，“每天都在煎熬”。
但是，海上青焙坊(SY B )改变了他的生活。2008年，12位在上海工作的法国人发起成立了海上青焙坊，为来自困难家庭的青少年提供免费法式烘焙技术训练。他们相信：授人以麦，三餐之需；授人以焙，终身之用。海上青焙坊创立之初，便与N G O合作寻找合适的学员，“马大夫之家”推荐了张政海。
这个22岁的年轻人没想到，自己日后能进入五星级大酒店工作，甚至还能去法国学习烘焙！两年之后，张政海的名字和照片出现在SYB的宣传手册上，激励着一个个对未来怀有香甜梦想的年轻学员。
海上青焙坊诞生
2008年，12个法国年轻人想为上海做些有意义的事情。“越来越多的法国人来上海工作，但上海只是一个职业生涯中转站，或早或晚总会离开———我们很想为这座城市留下些什么。”元老会员C ecile在接受媒体采访时解释。
他们做了一个市场调查，发现面包、西点在上海越来越受欢迎，但法式面包却很少，因此萌生了做法式烘焙培训的想法，并将培训对象锁定为最需要帮助的“孤儿”。海上青焙坊项目主管林兰告诉记者，在当时这是中国唯一一个法式烘焙培训。
2009年2月，16名来自上海市第二福利院和“马大夫之家”等公益组织的年轻人来到上海，开始了法式烘焙学习。张政海记得，海上青焙坊开了一个隆重的开学典礼。“很多老外，很多支持的企业都来了。开学典礼上就确定了谁去哪实习，我分到了一家法国的面包坊，法语叫C hezPaul，中文叫‘保罗贝香’。”
项目成立之初，两家合作的法国食品企业派出资深面包师支援培训。学习了一些基础课程之后，学员们开始在工作日去面包坊实习，周末则在上海著名烘焙企业———克莉丝汀研发中心集中培训。除了烘焙课，他们还要学习英语及生活技能。
实习改变了张政海对烘焙的看法。“一开始的培训，虽然有很好的老师、设备和课程，但我没兴趣。去实习的是一个百年老店，国际品牌。工厂里有非常专业的面包师，每一个同学都有师傅带着，都说烘焙行业很有前途，而且很自由，有新意。”
师傅们做面包时，他们帮不上忙，站在一旁看。看到师傅们做的面包时，“就想吃”。“一直都有新东西，每天尝一种都尝不完。”令人垂涎欲滴的面包勾起了他动手的兴趣，慢慢地，他跟着动手制作面包，大半年以后就可以和师傅们的作品媲美，甚至开始独当一面，像模像样地带徒弟了。“这让我更有自信，我喜欢我做的事。”
第一批学员的培训为期六个月，毕业后海上青焙坊向四、五星级酒店及面包坊推荐学员，很多学员的手艺令主厨们惊讶。与此同时，法国人也发现，如果有文凭又有官方认可的职业技术证书，即使没有公益机构的推荐，学员也能找到工作。
随后，上海市慈善基金会为海上青焙坊找到了曹杨职业技术学校做合作伙伴。曹杨职校为学员提供食宿及西式面点师课程和文化课程，更重要的，SYB的学员能够报名参加统一的西式面点师考试，获得国家认可的执业证书和文凭，提高就业竞争力。
2010年，海上青焙坊获选“上海青年十大公益项目”之一。
持续发展
2010年之前，海上青焙坊没有一个全职工作人员。志愿者来来去去，流动性高，势必影响项目的可持续发展。因此，SY B选择挂靠在智行基金会之下。“智行基金会影响力大，也很专业。”项目主管林兰解释道。
智行基金会于1998年成立，主要帮助受艾滋病影响的孩子上学，并对弱势群体进行艾滋病的预防教育。除了智行，SYB长期合作的N G O还有马大夫基金会、宝鸡新星流浪儿童援助中心、中国SOS儿童村、久牵志愿者服务社、EdenM inistry，他们成为海上青焙坊学院的来源。
作为一个长期的职业培训项目，除了保证学员的数量，培训师也至关重要。为此，SY B挑选出支持机构理念的学员，学习法语，送往法国培训后，在SY B担任培训师。一直关注SYB的法国驻沪总领事馆官员为SY B联系了法国奥里亚克烘焙学校。该校创办于1990年，其课程都是由荣获法国最佳面包师头衔的师傅授课。
张政海便是被选中的“苗子”之一。
2010年10月底，张政海开始在上海法语培训中心上免费法语课，七八个月后，他通过了法语考试和签证面试，前往法国。在法国，每周一上包括科学、营养学、微生物学、数学、历史等课程的理论课，周二到周五则上8个小时的操作课，每个人每天就要用掉大半包面粉。从法国回来时，他丢了所有衣服，法国老师给的资料却一本没落全带回来了。
2011年8月回到上海，他和另外两位一同前往法国学习的同学接替了志愿培训师的工作，成为海上青焙坊的全职培训师。
随着学员制作的面包和蛋糕越来越多，2011年11月，海上青焙坊前任项目官员注册成立“海上青焙坊管理咨询(上海)有限公司”，一方面出售面包，另一方面面向公众开展烘焙公开课。平时海上青焙坊的三位培训师接受订单制作面包及蛋糕，每个周末则在延平路或嘉善路出售学员制作的食品。公开课满8个人报名就开班，也为企业团队建设安排特别课程。
林兰透露，为了保证高质量的培训，项目一年费用在120万元左右，去年社会企业的利润可以达到10%，今年有望实现15%，再过三五年争取实现40%-50%。
社会企业的烦恼
至此，海上青焙坊的运作已经初步定型：挂靠于智行基金会之下，获得家乐福基金会、雪铁龙等基金会资金支持，由合作N G O推荐学员，与曹杨职校合作，提供食宿，生活老师负责照看学员，由培训师进行法式烘焙培训，合作N G O则为其提供技能培训及英语培训，再由合作酒店提供实习及就业机会，面包销售及烘焙公开课收入则继续用于支持项目。
但是刚刚起步的海上青焙坊，仍不免遭遇“成长的烦恼”。学员制作的面包，最初只在外国人举办的市集或义卖活动上销售，它没有食品生产许可证。他们曾用两年的时间调研如何办证，最后发现一些硬件无法达到。“比如要求有500平方米的烘焙中心，我们只有300平方米。售卖食品之前需要食品检测，这是一笔不小的费用。”林兰说。烘焙中心远离市区，他们还没有条件配备专门的送货车辆。
另外一个烦恼便是人员短缺。基金会无法为全职人员发高工资，也缺照顾学员的生活老师。所以，他们一年最多只能培训30位学员，无法扩大培训规模。今年的培训班招收了20名学员，林兰打算明年招满30个，此外，也计划帮助其他N G O发展烘焙学校，培训培训师。
目前，海上青焙坊已经为“盲文无国界”组织培训了一位烘焙培训师，帮助其在西藏发展针对盲人的烘焙学校。林兰还希望在全国各地发展就业合作伙伴，让学员在家乡当地也能找到工作。7月15日，SYB将举办毕业典礼，去年学员的就业率达到了100%。
等到这一批学员毕业，SYB将刷新一个纪录：加上今年的20位学员，海上青焙坊获得上海市人保部门颁发的初级或中级“西式面点师职业资格证书”的学员，将超过100人。
张政海说，等SY B不缺培训师时，他才会离开。他要通过学员把法式面包的理念和工艺带到更多地方，做出好吃健康的食物。明年春天，他培训过的学员将赴法国接受烘焙培训，如他当年一样。“每年看到他们毕业，我非常有成就感，不亚于一个公司给我丰厚的工资。”
http://epaper.oeeee.com/A/html/2013-07/01/content_1885479.htm
Shanghai Young Bakers: An NGO Teaching poor Chinese youth French baking Skills
12 French youth wanted to do some meaningful things for Shanghai in 2008, so they stared SYB to help disadvantaged Chinese youth to learn authentic French baking skills. This was the only French bakery training program at that time.
They sent disadvantaged Chinese youth to France to study, and five-star hotels to practice. They connected NGOs with corporations and poor Chinese youth and have changed the fate of those young people.
When Zhang Zhenghai and his brother were children, they couldn’t afford school fees because their father had an accident and couldn’t make money. Some people from a French charity called “Children of Madafu” came to their village and funded them. Disliking his life in senior high school, Zhang quitted school and went south to work in a factory. However, the life in the factory wasn’t as good as he had pictured. Zhang felt that his dream was swallowed by the factory production line and he was suffering day after day.
But, Shanghai Young Bakers changed his life. Founded by 12 French who worked in Shanghai in 2008, Shanghai Young Bakers provides a fully-sponsored French bakery training to disadvantaged Chinese youth. They believe that “Give an orphan some bread, you feed him for one day; teach him how to bake, you feed him for a lifetime”. SYB cooperated with other NGOs to seek potential students from the beginning, and “Children of Madafu”, the NGO recommends Zhang Zhenghai, is one of the partner NGOs.
The 22-year-old youth had never imagined that he could work in a five-star hotel, or even fly to France to learn baking skills. Two years later, his name and photo appear in SYB brochures. His story inspires every young student with a sweet dream.
The Birth of Shanghai Young Bakers
Twelve French young people wanted to do something meaningful for Shanghai in 2008. Cecile, one of the oldest members explained in an media interview, “More and more French people are working in Shanghai, but Shanghai is just a transit point of career life—we’ll leave sooner or later. We hope to leave something for this city.”
They made a market research, discovering that bread and pastries are becoming more and more popular in Shanghai; however, French-style bread is still rare. So they had an idea of French bakery training, and targeted “orphans”, who need help most, as training objects. SYB program manager Floriane told the journalist that SYB was the only French bakery training in China during that time.
In February 2009, 16 young people recommended by NGOs like Shanghai No. 2 Welfare House and Children of Madaifu came to Shanghai to begin their French bakery training. Shanghai Young Bakers held a grand opening ceremony for us, as ZhangZhenghai remembered. ‘Lots of foreigners and supporting companies came. Everyone was assigned an internship place at the ceremony. My place was a French bakery called Chez Paul.
At the beginning of the program, partner French food companies sent two senior bakers to support the training. After learning some basic knowledge, students started to intern at bakeries on weekdays and received their training at weekends at the research center of a famous Shanghai bread corporation,Christine. Besides baking, they also learned English and life skills.
The internship changed Zhang’s view on baking, “At the beginning of the training, I felt bored though we had very good teachers, equipments and courses. But the internship is very different. My workplace is a well-known international brand with a history of over 100 years. There are very professional bakers in the factory and each student had his own master baker. Some bakers had 15 years’ experience, some had 10. They all said that baking industry is very promising, free and new.
With a smile, Zhang said that he began to love baking because he liked eating bread. When the bakers were baking bread, they couldn’t really help so they just stood aside and looked. Whenever taking a glance at the bread by those bakers, ‘I just wanna to eat’. ‘Different types of bread keep coming out. We couldn’t taste every kind of them even if we tried one every day.’ The jaw-dropping bread aroused his interest of making bread himself. He learned the process of making bread step by step, and after more than half a year his work was able to compete with the professional bakers. He was even good enough to work by himself and to have his own students. ‘This makes me more confident. I love what I’m doing.’
The training of the first-batch students takes 6 months. After graduation SYB recommended the students to work in bakeries or four-and-five-stare hotels. Many students’ baking skills surprised the head chefs. At the same time, the French founders found that students were also able to find a job without the recommendation of an NGO if they had a certificate recognized by the government.
Later, Shanghai Charity Foundation introduced SYB to cooperate with Professional Training Center of Shanghai Caoyang Vocational School. Caoyang Vocational School provided the students with free accommodations as well as pastry training and cultural courses. More importantly, SYB’s students would thus have the chance to take the national pastry chef exams and get recognized practicing certificates and diplomas, improving their competitiveness in employment.
In 2010, SYB was awarded as one of the ’Ten Best Shanghai Youth Charity Programs’.
Sustainable development
Before 2010, none of the staff of SYB was full-time. With volunteers coming and leaving, the high mobility was bound to affect the sustainability of the project. Therefore, SYB chose to be affiliated to Chi Heng Foundation. “Chi Heng Foundation is very influential and professional, and its founder Du Cong is very concerned about Shanghai Young Bakers.” Floriene explained.
Founded in 1998 in Hong Kong, Chi Heng Foundation helps AIDS-infected children to go to school, and gives AIDS prevention education to the vulnerable groups. Every summer vacation, Chi Heng Foundation convenes undergraduate student volunteers visit the recipients’ families, and count up the numbers of the students and the dropouts. For the children who cannot continue their studies, Chi Heng Foundation provides them vocational training and counseling, to enable them with the ability to find a job. Besides Chi Heng Foundation, the NGOs that have long-term cooperation with SYB are Children of Madaifu, Baoji Xinxing – Aid Center for Street Kids, SOS China, Jiuqian Volunteer Service, and Eden Ministry. They recommended students to SYB from poor families, and with interest in baking.
Furthermore, as a long-term career training program, the trainers are also crucial. Therefore, SYB selected outstanding students with recognition and support for the concept of the organization, and sent them to France for training after a period of French language learning, and then they came back as trainers in SYB. Concerned about SYB, officials from Consulate General of France in Shanghai contacted the EFBA (Ecole Francaise de Boulangerie d’Aurillac) baking school for SYB. It is known that the school was founded in 1990, and all its courses are taught by the master bakers who won the title of best bakers of France. It is a school that dealers and baking industry employees from all around the world longing to come to receive more professional trainings.
Zhang Zheng Hai was one of the selected “seedlings”. Beginning from the end of October 2010, Alliance Francaise provided free French training for him. After several months of study, he passed the French exam and visa interview and went to France. In France, every Monday he took theory courses including science, nutriology, microbiology, mathematics, history etc, and from Tuesday to Friday, he spent eight hours on operational classes, where each student would use up more than half a bag of flour per day. When coming back from France, he threw away all his clothes, but took back every single material the French teachers had given him. On August 2011 he returned to Shanghai with the other two classmates who went to France together with him, took over the volunteer trainers’ work to become a full-time trainer for SYB.
The support from Chi Heng Foundation keeps the project running, and the three trainers are also in place to ensure the ongoing of the baking courses. With the increasing of the student-making bread and cakes, in November 2011, the former program manager of SYB registered and established “Shanghai Young Bakers Consulting Co. Ltd”, which sells bread, and at the same time gives public baking classes to public. The three trainers of SYB receive orders to make bread and cakes. Every weekend on Jianshan Road Market or Yanping Road Market, students’ products are sold. A public baking class will be held when over 8 people sign up for the class, and SYB will also open special courses for corporate team building.
Floriene reveals that, in order to ensure high-quality training, the project cost is about 1.2 million a year. The social enterprise profit covered 10% last year, and it is expected to reach 15% this year, then after another three to five years it will try to achieve 40% -50%.
Troubles of Running a Social Enterprise
So far, the operation mode of SYB has been basically established: affiliated to Chi Heng Foundation, supported by Carrefour Foundation, PSA Peugeot-Citroën Foundation and some other foundations, ecruiting students recommended by partner NGOs, cooperating with Caoyang Vocational School which provides free accommodation, SYB sustains the program by selling bread made by students and holding public baking classes, while SYB students have a social educator to take care of their daily life, three trainers to give French bakery trainings, partner NGOs to teach life skills and English, and partner hotels to provide internship and employment opportunites.
However, being still in its infancy, SYB suffers “growing pains”. At first, bread made by students could only be sold on bazaars or charity markets held by foreigners since SYB does not have food production license. It took them two years to learn how to apply for a license, but only to find that SYB could not live up to the requirements. “For example, the baking centre is required to be at least 500 square meters while ours is only 300 square meters,” said Floriene, “Furthermore, it is regulated that food need to be detected before selling and that would cost a lot.” Also, the baking centre of SYB is far from downtown while SYB is not equipped with delivery waggons.
Another “pain” is the lack of employees. As foundations could not support well-paid full-time staff, social educators taking care of students’ life are always in need. That’s why SYB could not enlarge its training scale (no more than 30 tainees per year). This year, SYB enrolled 20 students and Floriane hopes the number could be 30 next year. Besides, SYB also plans to help other NGOs to develop baking training program and cultivate trainers.
So far SYB has helped Braille Without Borders to develop baking training for the blind in Xizang by cultivating a trainer for the organization. Floriane is looking for country-wide employment partners to make sure that students could find jobs in their hometowns. SYB is going to hold a graduation ceremony for its 5th batch students on the 15th of July. The employment rate of last year is 100 percent!
After the graduation of this year, SYB will break a record: with the newly graduated 20 students, the number of the SYB students with elementary or intermediate professional qualification certificate of western-style pastry chef issued by Shanghai Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will surpass 100.
According to Zhang Zhenghai, he would not leave SYB as long as it lacks trainer. He believes that his students will spread the concept and skills of French baking to more places by making tasty and healthy food. Next spring, some of his trainees will go to France for further training as he did years before. “Every year when I witness their graduation, I would feel a sense of achievement which is no less than what a high salary could bring me,” said Zhang.
(Interviewer and reporter: Liu Sunan from Nandu)
Translated by: Victor, Kishi, HAO Shanjia, Lorien