PwIDD and their families
have benefitted
Seminars, workshops, trainings,
advocacy sessions
Extended community members sensitized
Our major programs are organised within two verticals
Skilling & Supported Employment Project
(SSEP)
Adult Support Kendra
(ASK)
Skilling & Supported Employment Project (SSEP)
Under this vertical, YCT provides skill development and training to PwIDD in the hard skills related to the food and beverage (F&B) sector as well as assisting them to develop basic employment readiness skills required for most work environments.
Opportunities for earning livelihoods are also provided through the activities run under Arpan Food Services.
In the future, we plan to expand our skill development repertoire to include other options beyond F&B. We are currently exploring these options.
Our key activities under SSEP:
- Training PwIDD with skills needed to be employed in the F&B sector both within YCT and in the open employment space
- Providing basic employment readiness skills to all trainees at the Skill Development Centre (SDC)
- For individuals who have registered for employment support services, we also conduct employment readiness skilling as required
- Creating more work opportunities within the supported employment milieu of YCT. Supported employment opportunities include Café Arpan, Café Arpan @ Accenture, Arpan Kitchen, and Arpan Bakery
- Developing, piloting and standardizing recipes that can be easily executed by PwIDD
- Providing experiences of outdoor catering as and when opportunities present themselves
SSEP is further divided in two activities
Skill Development Centre (SDC)
The Skill Development Centre (SDC) began its operations in November 2019. Prior to its inception PwIDD who joined the YCT team were being trained on the job either in the kitchen or at Café Arpan. However, as the number of beneficiaries being served increased and training on the job became difficult due to specific needs of many diverse individuals, the Board felt a need to have a dedicated training space.
Currently, the point of entry into the YCT programs is at the SDC. We provide training in the hard skills required in the F&B space of YCT as well as the employment readiness skills required in any workplace. The latter include punctuality, following appropriate grooming and dress code requirements, teamwork, initiating and completing tasks within a reasonable time frame, following instructions, asking for help when required and so on.
We also conduct classes in Financial and Digital Literacy for our beneficiaries.
Arpan Food Services (AFS)
At Arpan Food Services, we run outlets where the staff consists of disabled and non-disabled individuals.
The following are the current initiatives:
ARPAN KITCHEN
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At the kitchen, we cook, and cater a variety of foods and cuisines.
Our daily tiffin service prepares and delivers fresh homemade meals for lunch and dinner.
We also offer our catering services for conferences, funfairs, birthday parties etc – whether it is special customised snack boxes, desserts, and breads to the good-ol’ biryani.
We are FSSAI certified.
CAFé ARPAN
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A Café like no other.
Simple and fresh menu choices. Created and served with a special touch by the differently abled.
A one-of-a-kind experience. Guaranteed.
We are FSSAI certified.
CAFé ARPAN – ACCENTURE
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In 2019, around the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) which falls on December 3 every year, Café
Arpan was invited to do a pop-up at the Accenture office in Vikhroli, Mumbai.
The event was a huge success. Besides creating a buzz about the offerings, the Leadership was excited at the thought of having our team on their premises and offered us a spot in their Innovation Hub under the leadership of Ms. Sonal Mehra, Senior MD.
We currently run a full-service cafe on their premises.
ARPAN BAKERY
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The bakery unit was set up in March 2023 with generous funding from Rossari Biotech Ltd.
This is a full-fledged bakery where the team makes various breads, buns, rolls, garlic bread as well as a whole array of delectable desserts.
We are happy that the unit provides training, internship as well as employment opportunities.
Adult Support Kendra (ASK)
Under this vertical, we work on supporting PwIDD and their families through a variety of services:
Counseling (Individual and Group): YCT employs qualified mental health professionals who provide counseling services to PwIDD and their families. These services include hangout groups and are made available in an in-person as well as an online format. We currently have clients from different parts of India.
Enrichment and Therapeutic Sessions: These include yoga, Art-Based Therapy, Dance Movement therapy (DMT) and Music Therapy. The aim for these activities is to build self-esteem and self-awareness, emotional resilience, and regulation, and enhance social skills. Through these sessions, we also aim to reduce and resolve conflicts and distress among our beneficiaries. PwIDD register for these sessions as per their interest and motivation.
Employment Support Services: Through this activity, we explore employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for PwIDD in the open job market. Individuals and their families contact us and after a detailed interview process, we register them in our database. If suitable opportunities are available, we take the individual and their family to the worksite and initiate the conversations with the potential employer. We do extensive sensitization activities before the individual is placed.
Awareness and Sensitization Sessions: We seek opportunities to educate the community at large about disabilities and the value of including PwIDD into the mainstream discourse. We tailor these sessions according to the needs of the organization hosting them.
Advocacy: PwIDD deserve to enjoy equal rights and participation in society as full citizens; we advocate for this through seminars, workshops, collaborations, and partnerships. Creating a cadre of self-advocates and delivering their personal stories to school and college students is one strategy that we use. We have found that self-advocates talking about their personal journey including their successes and challenges makes for a powerful impactful narrative and plants the seed for more inclusivity and acceptance.
In 2022, YCT initiated a PIL in the Supreme Court against a lobby of clinics and medical professionals who are promoting Stem Cell Therapy (SCT) as a cure for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These clinics promise families a cure for autism, even though the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Medical Commission (NMC) have both said that there is currently no research to support the use of SCT to alleviate the symptoms of ASD.
YCT’s approach is to promote the scientific,
evidence-based practice.
This is a short video we have created on this issue.
Workshops: YCT regularly conducts workshops for PwIDD, parents and other professionals on key issues that need to be addressed as we help our beneficiaries lead successful lives. Some topics we regularly present are as follows:
- Person-centred planning
- Talking about sexuality as related to the PwIDD
- Understanding behavior and its management
- Understanding and techniques to promote self-regulation
- Recreation for adults
ROBINHOOD ARMY
As a part of our community involvement, we provide 50 fresh nutritious meals on a weekly basis to underprivileged street children who live a few kilometres away from our centre through our collaboration with the Robin Hood Army.
This is our way of giving back!
We seek donations from community members to support us for this initiative. The cost for these 50 meals is only INR 2,000 per week. Please call us at +919892418057 for details and donate generously.
OTHER COLLABORATIONS
We are proud to be part of a greater community in Mumbai and across India.
We work closely with the following organisations:
JOIN US ONLINE
Yash Charitable Trust is registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950 and all donations are deductible under Sec. 80G of the Income Tax Act of 1961.
No. E-30485 (MUMBAI) dated 9-7-2014.
Yash Charitable Trust is registered under Section 11 (1) of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
Registration Number: 083781651 dated 16-12-2019.
