Cafe in Coimbra promotes the inclusion of young people with trisomy 21 in the labor market

Six young people with trisomy 21 are part of a cafe team in Coimbra who, starting this Monday, will bring coffee or cake to the table, accompanied by a smile and a great desire for good service.

With a mixture of joy and pride, young Rafael Figueiredo, 17, takes a lemon carioca and a cookie to one of the tables in the Koala cafe in Celas to one of the first customers of his three-hour shift.

The tray is still shaking as the “adventure” has just begun, but the friendliness and happiness radiated through a smile ends up tagging one of the customers who doesn’t even really like coffee.

“I will try to come here more often because the friendliness with which we are treated is worth it,” said Ana Paula Jorge, a retired businesswoman who lives on Antonio José de Almeida Street, a few meters from Koala, a cafe , which is re-opening today and retains the name “from the days of public gatherings, which it acquired in the 1960s”.

The shift is “going very well” for Rafael, who is in the training phase and does not forget to greet everyone who enters the establishment.

“I love it. It’s easy to set the tables that people ask for,” he stressed, while being watched closely by a coach who teaches him some “tricks” to hold the tray more firmly.

The 17-year-old explained to Lusa that he already knows how to brew coffee, make toast and even cook soups, which he learned in the Pedagogical Kitchen, an activity developed by Olhar 21 – Citizen Support Association. with trisomy 21.

The opening of Koala Café is another inclusive project of this association from the city of Coimbra, which, according to Carla Codeso of Olhar 21 leadership, was born to help overcome the difficulties young people with trisomy 21 face in entering the labor market when they finish school. .

“This is a training where, after pedagogical cooking, these young people also have the opportunity to practice serving the table. We hope that it will be easier for them to enter the labor market as they already have the training and experience in their curriculum,” he is justified.

Training at the Koala Cafe lasts three hours a day, six young people aged 16 to 20 take turns: one in the morning and two in the afternoon.

“We noticed their happiness for being in a position where they are productive and recognized because often people with disabilities become invisible during interactions. background and with very limited autonomy,” he said.

Carla Codeso, who is also Raphael’s mother, stressed the importance this professional recognition has emotionally for these young people with cognitive disabilities who “stop being in the background to become more autonomous.”

“Sometimes, even if unconsciously, we get in the way of these young people because they need a little more time to do something. Learning to do things and be them is a very positive experience that brings them great happiness,” he added.

In his opinion, it is very important for them to live together, sharing common difficulties, in order to “realize that they are not the only ones who need more time to study.”

“It is important to feel involved and be able to solve problems on your own. This is the main goal of the project,” he stressed.

In addition to Rafael, the Koala Café team also includes Gonzalo, Mathilde, Joao, Miguel and Francisca, six people who are currently in charge of distributing coffee or cake, properly accompanied by a smile.

Down syndrome, described in 1866 by physician John Langdon Down, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence or absence of a third copy of chromosome 21, hence it is also called trisomy 21.