January Coffee Pages

January Coffee by Petra Gordon

Starting from January 2022 the monthly coffee ‘get together’ will have a slightly different format. I’m hoping to change it up every month, including venue (and area of town), time of day, set menu or “buy as you like”, everything from a simple coffee in a members home to a full on afternoon tea at one of the top local hotels. We’ll have some speakers at some of the events as well, which may tie in with whatever activity is planned later in the month. Any and all suggestions for locations and/or ideas are welcome!

This month, I have chosen Steps as our venue:

What: January’s coffee for Steps Community Where: Steps, the Commons in Thonglor When: January 13th at 10:30 a.m. Cost: 300 baht, which includes:

Coffee (hot/ iced) - americano, latte, cappuccino

Tea (hot/ iced) 1 free refill The price includes an assortment of baked goods such as Banana bread or fudge brownie

Why Steps? (This information has been taken from the Steps website)

“Steps is more than a training centre or coffee shop. It is a safe community space for all which promotes individuality” (Max Simpson, Steps co-founder).

We’re a passionate team of specialists, therapists and trainees. We run vocational training centres and a range of social businesses such as coffee shops in Bangkok and Phuket for young adults (some who have learning differences), to gain the skills they need to access a fulfilling career. Our therapists work in the wider community to support

children and young adults. Our ultimate aim is to help all people lead purposeful, dignified lives.

What do Steps do?

Since we started in 2016 our mission to give our trainees a great future has inspired businesses, schools, organisations and individuals across Thailand to get involved. We’ve grown so much it’s hard to cover everything, but here is what we do in a (large) nutshell: 1) Run UK-accredited vocational training centres in central Bangkok and Phuket for young adults. Many of our trainees have learning differences, but we welcome anyone who fits our admission criteria. 2) Work with schools to help them create bespoke educational plans for their learners. 3) Run a number of coffee shops, some of which are attached to our vocational training centres. The coffee shops serve as a safe space for our trainees to apply their new-found work skills. We serve wholesome, allergen free food and pride ourselves on our coffee. 4) Run a Business Service Centre which allows companies to outsource digital and admin work for our trainees and graduates to complete on site at our centre, which in turn offers them training and employment opportunities. 5) Build links with businesses and other organisations to arrange employment for our trainees once they’ve completed our vocational programme. 100% of our graduates are in employment with amazing partners doing Thailand proud. 6) Provide therapy to children aged three years plus. Our friendly team of professional therapists can run private sessions at Steps or in your home. We offer speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and play therapy. 7) Hold training workshops for schools to help educational staff support children with learning differences such as speech and language difficulties. 8) Our trainees run food and drink stands at external events, serving delicious baked goodies, smoothies and other delights.

As a social organisation committed to our mission, we reinvest 100% of our profit to achieve sustainability and growth so that the community we work alongside reach the opportunities they deserve.

Please see this link for more info. https://stepscommunity.com/about-us/