CONNECT: A Career and Life Planning Programme

[Mental Health Awareness Month – Finding Ways to Cope]

We are learning that mental health is not only about what is happening around us, but also about understanding our own emotions and finding healthy ways to cope🫱🏻‍🫲🏼🙇🏼‍♀️🧠.

Sometimes, when we feel overwhelmed😱, we may not immediately notice how we feel😖😢. Through daily activities and discussions,we are learning to pause⏸️, recognise emotions🙇🏼‍♀️, and explore different ways that help us feel calmer😌 and more balanced🙌🏻.

Some helpful ways we practise caring for our mental wellbeing include:
- movement 🙆🏻‍♂️🙆🏼‍♀️
- breathing exercise😮‍💨
- listening to music🎶
- reading📖
- taking a short break✋🏻
- talking with trusted people💬🗣️

What are some ways you take care of your emotions?💬

[Discover Your Healthy Habits! 🏃‍♂️⚽]

We believe that everyone can find their own way to stay active and healthy💪🏻🏋🏻🏋🏻‍♀️—and it all starts with trying something new!😉
Every two months, we look forward to our exciting sports sessions with Coach Zaki🤾🏻‍♂️, where we explore a range of activities such as rugby🏉, football⚽ and light cardio games🏃🏻🏃🏼‍♀️. Each activity is adapted to suit different abilities🫱🏻‍🫲🏼, so everyone feels confident💪🏻 to take part.

Through fun😊 and supportive experiences🤩, we practise skills such as passing🤾🏻‍♀️, dribbling⛹🏻, kicking, running🏃🏼‍♂️🏃🏼‍♀️ and teamwork👯🏻🫱🏻‍🫲🏼, while building confidence💪🏻 and enjoying movement together🤩🥰.

Come and discover your own healthy habits with us!🤗🫶🏻

[Happy Mother's Day]👩🏼💐

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible women who nurture🤗, lead, and love🥰! Whether you are a mom🤱🏻, grandma👵🏼, aunt👩🏼‍🦱, or mentor👩🏻‍🏫, today we celebrate the heart🩷 and strength 💪🏻you bring to the world🌎.

To show our appreciation🙇🏼‍♀️, love🥰, and care for our moms🤗, we put our hearts into crafting handmade greeting cards🗂️ filled with personal and heartfelt messages💬. Through every word and little detail, we hope they truly feel how lucky we are to have them, and know that they are cherished🤩, valued, and deeply loved🥰—not just on this special day, but every single day🗓️.

Cheers to the multitaskers, the caregivers, and the dream-makers—you make life even more beautiful🤩🎉!

[Gratitude in Action]

Being part of the MIC community gives us meaningful opportunities to learn🤓 and grow through real work experiences💪🏻, and also to appreciate what we have and give back🫱🏻‍🫲🏼. We’re always ready to help🤗, no matter how big or small the task💪🏻.

Recently, we helped with event preparation by decorating the hall and placing stickers🐾 on the floor. We also supported the coffee corner kitchen with urgent repairs, from scraping and smoothing reused tiles🔲 to mixing cement and laying tiles🔲. Although the tasks felt challenging at first😱, Andrew and Alex guided us step by step👣. In the end, we’re grateful for the chance to experience different types of work, and we feel more confident👊🏻💪🏻 and better prepared for future career exploration🤵🏼🤵🏼‍♀️.

[🌍 Earth Day: Small Actions, Big Change 💚]

This Earth Day, let’s take a moment to reflect on what “waste” really means. Protecting the environment isn’t just about reducing pollution—it’s also about creating opportunities💪🏻.

We’ve been exploring ways to give new life to everyday waste. From paper waste📰 to used flowers🥀, we turn them into handmade recycled cards📜, art, and crafts using dried flowers instead of throwing them away🥀.

At the same time, we collect metal cans from our daily drinks🥤. Beyond reducing waste, these cans can be passed on to individuals—especially the homeless and elderly👴🏼👵🏼—who collect and sell recyclables to earn a small income💲. It’s a simple way to support both environmental sustainability🌳♻️ and the community🫱🏻‍🫲🏼.

It’s all about making something meaningful out of what we usually think of as rubbish🗑️. Small actions can turn into art, gifts, and even opportunities for livelihood or future projects💪🏻🤗.

[💙 Autism Acceptance Month♾️]

This month is about more than awareness—it’s about accepting capability and providing the right support.💪🏻🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

We’re proud to celebrate our trainees on the autism spectrum🧠🌈, who demonstrate strengths💪🏻 such as punctuality⏱️, attention to detail, focus, and dedication🤓. When appropriate accommodations and support are in place, these strengths are able to come forward💪🏻☝🏻.

We recognise that they experience work and work environments differently, and that sensory needs and emotional regulation can sometimes present challenges. This is why intentional, flexible support is essential. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼💪🏻🤗

Our team provide appropriate accommodations such as sensory tools, quiet spaces, regular breaks, and tasks broken into small, manageable steps. With clear guidance, advance preparation, and the time to progress at their own pace, they can gradually adapt, build confidence, and enjoy their work.💪🏻🤩🥳

[Hop into a Mindful Easter]

Warm Easter greetings from all of us at YES and CONNECT!🐣🐰🥳

This season, we invite you to pause ⏸️, slow down🚶🏼‍♂️, and be fully present. May your days be filled with gentle moments of joy🤩, thoughtful connection🫱🏻‍🫲🏼, and quiet appreciation for the little wonders around you🙏🏻. Take a deep breath😌, notice the small blessings👏🏻, and share kindness with those near you🤗.

Wishing you a mindful, peaceful, and cheerful Easter🐣🐰 — filled with warmth, gratitude, and moments that make your heart hop with happiness.

[Community Involvement: Flag Day Volunteers in Action! ]

This month, our team stepped out into the community as Flag Day volunteers💪🏻😍 — armed with flags, stickers, and big smiles😁. We greeted passers-by, thanked donors🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻, and practised polite, confident interactions in a busy street setting🫱🏻‍🫲🏼.

It was more than just fundraising; it was a lively opportunity to build social skills👂🏻🗣️, get involved, give back, and show that everyone can play a part in community life🫱🏻‍🫲🏼💪🏻🤩.
We’re so proud of everyone’s courage and effort, and incredibly grateful to those who stopped to donate🤑, smile😊, or share a kind word🤗.

Every encouragement makes inclusion possible. Every small moment of support truly matters🙇🏻😍.

[🐰Hop into a Mindful Easter! 🌼]

This Easter, from 30th March to 2nd April, we can celebrate, create, and connect with our Mindful Easter Holiday Programme.
Imagine a few days full of:

🎨 Crafting Easter-themed art with recycled materials
🍳 Cooking fun and healthy Easter treats
🤸 Gentle movement, sports, and playful activities
🌿 Meaningful moments connecting with friends and nature

It’s all about being present, discovering small joys, and growing together!

Let’s make this Easter mindful, fun, and unforgettable! Sign up now and join the celebration!😉😍🥳

[Hands-on Activity Leading: Lunar New Year Bingo & Karaoke]

Lunar New Year is the perfect time to spread festive joy and our heartfelt blessings at the elderly centre! In the weeks leading up to our visit, we practised LNY Bingo — working on clear pronunciation 🗣️, learning the stories and culture behind each festive item 🧨, and introducing ourselves confidently in Cantonese 💪.

On the day, we took turns calling out the bingo pictures, helping the elders find the right cards, and celebrating every cheerful “Bingo!” with claps and laughter. We also shared New Year greetings, wishing everyone good health and happiness for the year ahead.

To keep the energy going, we invited the elders to join a lucky draw for their favourite LNY songs🎤. With music, singing, and clapping, the room was full of warmth and festive spirit — a lively way for us to practise communication and activity-leading skills, while strengthening our bonds with the elderly ✨