My two fulfilling years at SYB

It has been two and a half years and I can still recall what it was like when I first joined the Shanghai Young Bakers team in May 2014. I was passionate about China and its people, and was looking for a more meaningful social mission; I was lucky to have the opportunity to make my dreams come true: helping the underprivileged have a new start in life. I remember the first time that I was genuinely moved was during the recruitment trip of the summer of 2014: for the first time in my life, I was interacting everyday with young adults from very impoverished backgrounds who talked about their life experiences and traumas in the simplest and humblest ways. Their dreams and hopes for the future were buried under the surface, as their main concern was to “survive today, this month, and see what happens next”. It felt amazing to welcome these young people to Shanghai every August: we could see their hope in the programme which has given them a new chance in life.

Each year, it was incredible to see their evolution: beginning as young and shy teenagers, they were growing into confident young adults, learning how to communicate and express their opinions, and even making plans for their future. I was always filled with pride when seeing them wearing their baker’s uniforms, whether it was in class at SYB or during their internship at our partner hotels. My biggest reward was to see them graduate and start their new careers with confidence! Even now, I love visiting them at their respective workplaces around Shanghai and find out how they are doing. I feel proud that they have achieved our goal: find stable jobs as bakers and lift themselves out of poverty. And the number of companies who reach out to us to recruit qualified bakers just confirms that the Young Bakers have a bright future ahead of them!

In the end, the Young Bakers are like all of us: give them a chance, believe in them, and they will blossom and grow into confident human beings who can achieve their dreams.

For the last two years I have been focusing on developing the program in several ways: increasing the visibility of our mission and activities, strengthening our partnerships with socially-minded companies and individuals, and increasing the recognition of our expertise in French bakery and pastry. Along the way, I have been amazed by the number of people willing to make a difference, including our partners and volunteers; I would like to thank all of you for supporting my work for the past two years. Moreover, this would not have been possible without the passion and dedication of our outstanding teachers, social educator, and the rest of our team!

I wish SYB and the Young Bakers an amazing future! SYB GO GO GO!!!

Former Program Director
Program Advisor
Emilie Rigaud