Creating Inclusive Opportunities Through Friendship Club
Friendship Club is a social club initiated by Malaysian CARE for young adults with special needs. With the guidance of CARE staff, they run this advocacy group to self-advocate, promote disability awareness, and host and join social events. Members meet once a month and are expected to learn and take up roles in various activities to further promote inclusion as people with different abilities.
A group of young adults from Friendship Club recently participated in the TimMy Autism Conference, where they ran a booth selling handmade and baked items. This initiative aimed to provide them with hands-on experience in sales and customer service, while also raising public awareness on acceptance and inclusion to 100-120 attendees.
Two days before the event, nine young adults worked together to bake butter cakes, guided by staff from CARE. With hands-on support, they measured ingredients, followed instructions, and learned to work as a team. Although some tasks were challenging, they successfully completed the preparations.
At the conference, three young adults, a parent and volunteer managed the booth along with our staff, interacting with attendees of the conference. In addition to butter cakes, there were also hand-beaded bracelets and bookmarks done by other club members. Their responsibilities included introducing Friendship Club, practising sales and customer service by explaining the products to visitors and accepting payments via cash and QR transactions.
Although they faced some challenges at first, they gradually became more confident in engaging with customers and handling transactions. Their hard work paid off, as they successfully raised over RM600 in sales. The proceeds were channelled to Friendship Club, where members meet once a month to take part in various activities. The most recent gathering was a Chinese New Year celebration (photos below), where they enjoyed festive activities and time together as a community.
Beyond the financial success, this event was a valuable learning experience for the young adults. It helped them develop social skills, confidence, and independence, showing that with proper support and guidance, they can actively contribute to society.
As Josephine, our staff actively serving in Friendship Club shared, “Although the preparation and event were busy and tiring, it was a happy experience for us.” This project highlights the importance of inclusive opportunities and the role each of us plays in supporting young adults with special needs.
By providing such avenues, we can empower them to grow, connect with others and realise their potential. It is a reminder that when we foster true inclusion, we open doors for every young adult to flourish and thrive.