The special education students in the Cheng Shiu University Dream Hub learn to make Belgian muffins and oden, and donate all the proceeds to disadvantaged institutions. By taking from society and giving back to the community, the students help themselves and others to adapt to the workplace early. Bing-Wei Wu, Director of the Care and Counseling Center, said that special education students acquire skills through learning by doing, and their career exploration will not be affected by their congenital defects.
The Care and Counseling Center of Cheng Shiu University serves special education students, and it has run the "Dream Hub" since 2021 to provide a professional internship place for special education students in the spirit that dreams need support from heart and we should not be afraid of failures.
Bing-Wei Wu, director of the Care and Counseling Center, said that special students should be taught to learn workplace etiquette, get along with others, and prepare for employment early through constant trials.
The operation of CSU Dream Hub is mainly through the leadership of teachers, while students spontaneously work together to set goals, determine the goods they want to sell, then work hard to learn new items. They acquire skills through campus vocational training, make good use of learning skills, and further integrate with the workplace, so that special education students can find work value, find jobs after graduation, and create a better life for themselves.
CSU Dream Hub offers a wide variety of products, and launch new products every semester, including muffins, eggs, thick slices of toast, handmade hemp, tea eggs, etc. This semester, Belgian muffins and oden are launched. Students are led by Guan-Yu Lin, a teacher at the Center. All the goods are made by the students via division of labor, and all the proceeds are donated to disadvantaged institutions.
Bing-Wei Wu said that the school has always focused on "building a mutual care community" and "creating a confident and empowering environment" in the planning of special education. Through the design of the Dream Hub, students can support each other, so that special education students can get positive feedback from others in the process of making and selling goods.
With the efforts of the students of CSU Dream Hub, an electric water heater and the bedding set have been raised for the vulnerable elders living alone in Niaosong District, and CSU Dream Hub donated the income to NTD 8,000 of Huashan Niaosong Station and NTD 8,000 to Cheng Shiu Chihshan Foundation to encourage special education students to take it from society and give back to society.