By: Teuku Reza )*
Empowerment of disability groups is currently very optimal and maximal. This is inseparable from the Government’s efforts with the flagship strategic program Aneuk Muda Aceh Excellent and Great (AMANAH).
Aceh Youth Creative Hub (AYCH) or AMANAH itself is a form of superior strategic program from the Government through the initiation of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in the context of empowering youth.
However, it turns out that the empowerment efforts that AMANAH is carrying out are much broader in scope, namely accommodating an inclusive approach by empowering disability groups through very optimal and maximum steps.
One of AMANAH’s efforts to empower disability groups is by providing training to become waiters and waitresses in a cafe or restaurant.
The training activities for disability groups took place at Ivory Coffee, Banda Aceh, from 29 July – 1 August 2024. Head of the Banda Aceh Vocational Productivity Training Center (BPVP), Rahmad Faisal, revealed that the entire series of activities that AMANAH carried out in the context of empowering disability groups was truly remarkable.
The reason is, even though they have slight differences, this still doesn’t mean they can receive different treatment, let alone lowering their dignity, rank and dignity. On the contrary, people with disabilities actually need attention from all parties.
Moreover, in fact the state constitution also mandates equal attention without discrimination even to groups with disabilities, which implies that they are all truly worthy of receiving equal education and training.
Even though physically they may experience slight differences because they have disabilities, in reality they are all the same as all other citizens in Indonesia, namely having the right to work and being able to support themselves and their families.
For this reason, because they have the same right to work and seek a decent living for themselves and their families, they must of course have the same abilities in accordance with current industry needs and job vacancies.
Very high appreciation continues to flow to the AMANAH program, as one of the superior strategic programs initiated by the institution led by Police General (Ret.) Prof. Dr. Budi Gunawan for having a draft idea and implementing real empowerment efforts for disabled groups so that they can survive or survive better in life.
All participants from the disability group received optimal training from AYCH so that they gained knowledge regarding Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in terms of service in cafes or restaurants.
AMANAH is very serious about providing training to groups with disabilities. Not half-hearted, there were even mentors who were experts and experienced in their fields, with the help of a sign language translator, making it easier for participants to understand the mentors’ intentions.
On the other hand, training and empowerment programs for disabled groups are actually very useful because they can help the government’s efforts to reduce unemployment in Indonesia.
Not only that, but this program also adds to the realization efforts for disabled groups to take part in job training. Moreover, training for those writing to become waitresses is something new, so it should be able to encourage cafe and restaurant entrepreneurs to empower their fellow training participants.
One of the mentors or instructors in the disability group training, Ken Munthe, assessed that the acceptance and understanding of his deaf friends when they listened to the explanation in class was very good even though it was their first time.
In fact, thanks to training with optimal and maximum approaches and strategies from AMANAH, there is one participant who is even able to make coffee brews with excellent results. So their potential is actually very large, not just as a waiter, but also as a barista.
Waiter training for disabled groups increasingly brings out and encourages their potential. In fact, the positive activities that AMANAH held also brought very high enthusiasm from the participants. Normansyah, as one of the instructors in the training, revealed that the Aneuk Muda Aceh Superior and Great program really prepares all groups with disabilities to be ready to go directly into the hospitality industry, including service.
Optimization of empowerment efforts for disabled groups occurred thanks to the Government’s superior strategic program through the BIN initiative, namely AMANAH which provides waiter training to deaf friends so that they hone their abilities and get the same rights to be able to work to earn a decent living.
)* The author is a student at STKIP An-Nur Nanggroe Aceh.
