Tea Talk T
ea Talk opened for business in April 2012, with the purpose of providing psychosocial and education services to the local community, and in particular, improving the well-being of young people. Recognising that mental health was a major issue for young Hanoians, Michael Ong, a social worker from Singapore and owner of the café, wanted to provide counselling and training services in a relaxed environment. “Tea Talk has reached several thousand young people through our programmes and workshops,” said Michael. “Our flagship programme, Let’s Talk, is a para-counselling programme that has trained nearly 140 youths in basic peer counselling skills so they can help their friends in school or at work.” Michael admits that good intentions aren’t enough to ensure the success of Tea Talk, and while he has a master’s degree in
social work and is able to design social and psychological programmes, he knew nothing about running a café. “Everyday, new challenges are thrown at me,” he said. “It could be management issues, human resource issues, funding issues or issues like the ceiling leaks or the toilet is blocked. The challenge is that you’ll never know what is going to come up. To overcome these challenges, you have to adopt an attitude that says ‘I love to look for solutions’.” According to Michael, hiring good staff is one of the keys to success, and that means finding a balance of employing people with the right skills for the job, and finding people with the right heart. “I have learnt that I must build skills and captivate hearts.” “Don't be afraid to start, because if you don't [start], you’ve already failed. But if you try, you never know. You may be very successful indeed.”
wordvietnam.com | Aprll 2017 Word | 89