Equipping Young Women in Vocational Training with Food Photography Skills
— How we collaborate with the Culinary and Baking Program with Eats, Shoots, and Roots.
Our next creative education event was originally scheduled on 22 June 2021. However, due to the prolonged pandemic situation and respective regulations, we had to postpone the event until the situation gets better.
*From 1st July 2021, Malaysia has been in its third lockdown called MCO3.0.
While we wait for the situation to be changed, I would like to write about what we are planning for the next event.
It is another photography workshop. This time it is with young female students in vocational training, in collaboration with an upcoming social enterprise!
Collaboration Partner, Eats, Shoots, and Roots (ESR): How I came to know them
Eats, Shoots, and Roots, or ESR for short, is “a social enterprise on a mission to empower urban people with the skills and tools to grow their own food.” ESR “design edible gardens for people and communities who want to start growing food in balconies, backyards, and larger spaces.” (Citation from their website.)
I came to know about ESR when I was looking for potential receivers of the Micro Grant Programme of CHANGE Education Fund. One day I saw the ESR’s website and its online store, advocating green / an eco lifestyle in urban communities. Their mission, activities, well-designed mediums, namely their website, immediately caught my attention.
I especially liked their proactive and practical approach to help urban residents to be able to grow their own food in their backyards or even on their balconies.
First meeting with Eats, Shoots and Roots: planning an edible garden for myself!
I wanted to try out their product and service. So I ordered a package of edible garden planning from ESR’s online store. Then I made an appointment with them to chat. It was the best experience during this time when human interactions are very limited.
Shao-Lyn and Naqib visited my place and they developed an edible garden plan to fit my balcony.
On that day, I became quite certain that ESR is very engaging, capable, forward looking, and what is more, passionate about sustainability and education. Thus, we should collaborate in the area where our missions overlap.
First visit to ESR: Encountered with vibrant social enterprise advocating greenery in urban lifestyles
In early December 2020, I visited ESR in return for picking up some materials for my balcony, for getting to know them more, and for discussing our future collaboration.
This is the gate of ESR. The office is a renovated, big, old house in Bukit Damansara.
Who are the targets?
After a few meetings, we came up with an idea of providing an additional program for ESR’s existing collaborative program with YWCA (Young Women Christian Association). ESR has been working with YWCA Vocational Training Opportunity Centre (VTOC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
ESR has been working with the female students below 25 years old from B40 communities*, who are enrolled in the Culinary and Baking Programme.
*B40 means the Bottom 40% of the Malaysian household income, in comparison to M40 (the Middle 40%) and T20 (the Top 20%). The B40 are measured as households that earned a household income of RM3,855 and below in 2014, according to UNDP Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.
Who is the Special Guest Artist?: Ms. Singyuin Christy
Singyuin Christy has agreed to be our Special Guest Artist for this program.
She is a young talented documentary photographer, who has been also working on social issues such as international security and humanitarian aid.
She received the 3rd place winner of the 2015 International Photography Awards Deeper Perspectives Non Professional category, winner of History Asia’s Photo Face-Off Season 1, as well as being photographer for FOX Asia’s Celebrity Chef and Netflix Asia’s Ghost Bride.
I have known Christy since 2015 when she was one of the first batch fellows from Malaysia for the HANDs! Project.
When I approached her, Christy happily agreed to come join the project team. I am extremely excited and thankful to have Christy joining in this project.
The creative education event : Food photography workshop
With the guidance of Singyuin Christy, the participating female students will learn how to take the best creative photos of food using instant cameras. The dishes are to be cooked by themselves too just before the photo workshop.
One of the key components of their culinary and baking programme is to learn the skills to be able to work in the culinary and baking industry when they graduate. So this photography workshop will help them to make best communication/sales materials for the food they make, as well as guiding them to use photography as a way of expression.
Photography is getting more and more important for both big and small businesses in this information era. The acquired skills for taking attractive food photos are expected to help these female students to succeed in their career.
Looking forward
We are currently waiting for the situation to get better so that we can host this offline event. We are very much sure that young women will enjoy and learn a lot from our Special Guest Artist.
Once we can host the event, we will update in this blog. So stay tuned!
Please also refer to this article introducing CHANGE Education Fund’s Micro Grant Program.
