REGINA - Over the past few years, retail toy store Zippity Zoom Toys has partnered with SaskAbilities to give people a taste of the industry.
Dajarra Bosche, toy merchant with Zippity Zoom Toys, spoke about how the collaboration started.
"So somebody [with SaskAbilities] had phoned in and had somebody [who was in their program] that really actually specifically asked to work at the toy store, which I thought was really cool. So it's like, oh, they know about us. They want to work here. And so we kind of went back and forth a bit just [in terms of] understanding what it was all about and [the] who, what, why of it."
After the initial phone call, Bosche did research into SaskAbilities. The organization, which helps disabled people in communities, offers a supported employment program where an individual can grasp a workplace to build skills and achieve long-term success.
Once Bosche understood what SaskAbilities was aiming to achieve, she agreed to do a mini-formal interview with the individual.
During her interviews, Bosche likes to ask people what their hobbies are to get a better understanding of the work they would like. The individual told Bosche they were into Lego, so Bosche knew they would enjoy hands-on work.
From their further conversations, the individual told Bosche they wanted to work a few weeks for a couple of hours on certain days.
Since Bosche knew the person would like a hands-on experience, she gave him the task of ensuring the Lego boxes were put sorted together properly and not out of order. She would also intentionally rearrange items in the store to see if the worker was picking up on goods 小蓝视频 in the wrong place.
Bosche saw it as a way for them to learn as they go and for her to talk to them about anything she might have noticed that was done wrong by the individual so they remember what to do going forward.
Bosche believes it isn’t good to push a worker "onto something else, [as in a different task]. She added, "so now [that is] in their minds when they go and get a[n] [actual] job, I feel that like if [an employer asks the person] like how [good are] your organization skills, [like how good] are [you at] tiding? they're going to be like. 'I'm not good at it.' Cause at one time [while I was working at a different place], somebody didn't give me a chance. So I know [in my mind] that I can't do it because I didn't ace it the first time. And I think that just stays with you."
She also pointed out people tend to assume others are naturally good at something when, in reality, it takes them time to master a certain task.
The partnership also allows people to work on their socializing in the workplace, which can be a challenge for some individuals, said Bosche. For example, when the individual started working at Zippity Zoom Toys, they were shy and nervous around others.
As time went on, Bosche noticed the individual started asking her questions about the work and even interacted with some people talking about Lego.
After a while, the individual moved on from the store, but Bosche said they still keep in contact with her.
She even recalled a time when the individual reached out to her at their new workplace, which she felt "was special" because it showed Bosche that she was able to establish a connection with them.
The reason the individual reached out to Bosche was that they felt overwhelmed, so Bosche reminded them to take breaks or tell their manager about how they were feeling.
After the first individual from the partnership left the store, Bosche said the other people from the program have been coming in just for a day to see what retail is like. She said it does not happen often, typically about three times a year.
Even though the partnership doesn’t occur often, Bosche hopes the people that come in can advance in a industry and see what they enjoy doing the most.
When asked about what it would mean to give a person the confidence or boost to enter the workforce and obtain a stable job, Bosche admitted she never thought of that. She also said, "[I] love feeling like I did something [to help someone] [and] to see someone even like write me something and saying 'like I really appreciated what you did and like that little bit of advice actually kind of triggered something in my brain and helped me do this,' whether it was like to get a job or just something that helped them like breathe better at the end of the day."
Because of her efforts in helping out SaskAbilities, Bosche was recently highlighted on the organization’s social for her kindness and generosity in helping out others.
Bosche felt the post "was super nice," and she always appreciates the kindness and love SaskAbilities shows her. Going forward, Bosche is eager to continue the partnership with the group.
