Eden Blessed Clubhouse moved from Songshan District to Datong District this year, and today on 8th, Dec. for the first time, an exhibition of its achievements was held in the new site. Under the theme of "The Blessed eleven years, never forget our beginnings", members and staff members were invited to watch a real-life story play of the human library, "The Age of Illusion," so that the community could understand how members deal with their symptoms and how their illnesses have interfered with them. In addition, a static exhibition area was planned to invite participants to witness the fruits of Blessed Clubhouse's eleven years of hard work and to leave their blessings through prayer cards. Eden's board directors and CEO Ms. Yen-Bing Chung, Ms. Shu-Wen Yao, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Taipei City Government and members' families, friends, neighbors, and related social welfare organizations were present to support the event. Nearly 80 distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony and joined Eden Blessed Clubhouse in taking a step forward to the next stage of happiness.
Ms. Shu-wen Yao, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Taipei City Government, attended Eden Blessed Clubhouse Achievement Exhibition and appreciated the artistic creations of the members.
The "Embrace" chapter of the real-life story play of the human library describes the process of member, Meat Bun suffering from bipolar disorder. She has been living alone for 13 years and finally found the direction of her life in the Blessed Clubhouse. Meat bun is 38-year-old and suffered from insomnia every day since she was a child because of her family's problems. She didn't know how to cope with it, so she would often play on the computer or listen to songs until she was tired. The long-term depression finally broke out at the age of 25. She was also born with amblyopia in her left eye and congenital underdevelopment of the left hip joint, which caused her to have short and long legs, and she would walk on her tiptoes, swaying and falling down easily due to an unstable center of gravity. All these made her feel that she was different from others. She was lonely and spent her birthday by herself, and when she was sick, she had no one to accompany her and often complained about others.
Through the play, member Meat Bun shares how she has been facing her illness alone for 15 years and how she has found joy and purpose in her life at Blessed Clubhouse.
When she was in a state of mania for a long time, she would buy and eat all the time to fill the emptiness in her heart by spending money, so she would often spend money until there was no next meal. Her repeated episodes of illness made Meat Bun's life very desperate. "Child, embracing negative emotions is also a kind of energy". A visually impaired psychologist said to her gently during the counseling session. The warmth, tolerance and understanding of these words gave her great strength to try to live with her illness and to start actively looking for a job. When Meat Bun was hospitalized seven years ago, she joined Blessed Clubhouse after meeting Blessed Clubhouse members. Meat Bun who longed for companionship, had a second home. Nowadays, Meat Bun is no longer prone to emotional outbursts and loses contact with others. She has also discovered her desire to perform in the human library and the real-life story play, and has found her joy and purpose in life.
Eden Blessed Clubhouse entered its 11th year of operation and held an exhibition of its achievements on 8th, Dec. with a special working day planned for each department so that distinguished guests could learn about the operation of the clubhouse.
Eden indicated that thanks to the support of the Department of Social Welfare, Taipei City Government, the Blessed Clubhouse moved from Songshan to Tatung in its 11th year and built a complex that is not only convenient for transportation, but also more spacious and comfortable, which helps enhance members' autonomy in participating in the work, and then increases their self-sufficiency, giving them the opportunity to return to community life. This year's Achievement Exhibition continued with a the real-life story play of the human library, which not only helped the public to understand what illnesses look like and the distress they bring, but also allowed staff and members to build relationships through the process of cooperation. In addition, this time, Blessed Clubhouse also planned a variety of work days to allow participants to learn about the operation of the clubhouse and how to bridge the gap between professionals and service users, and to build up a working community and deepen the partnership with members.
Eden Blessed Clubhouse is the first community service program that cooperates with the Taipei City Government. Since its opening in 2012, Eden has been integrating with local residents, step by step by taking root in the community, and through many exhibitions over the years, we hope to give the community a chance to see how our members live their lives seriously, and to further recognize and understand people with psycho-social disabilities. In the future, Eden will also plan to set up more collaborative sites to provide support and assistance to people with psycho-social disabilities to rebuild their self-reliance and return to the community.
Eden Blessed Clubhouse Annual Achievement Exhibition was attended by Ms. Shu-wen Yao, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Taipei City Government, Eden's Board of Directors and CEO, and more than 80 distinguished guests showed the support.
