Media Release - Breaditation Programme

MEDIA RELEASE
Date of Issue: 1 August 2022

‘Breaditation’ Programme: Building Self-esteem and Confidence Through Bread Making

1. William Puay, 32, a client of Club HEAL, who has never baked bread before, finds great joy
and accomplishment in ‘Breaditation’ (a wordplay of “Bread” and “Meditation”). He is one of
the eight participants of this 8-week programme, a joint collaboration between SSA Culinary
Institute and Club HEAL. He looks forward to every ‘Breaditation’ session and has even
started baking for his family and friends as he experiments with the new techniques he has
learned from the programme.

2. The programme helps these clients from Club HEAL who face mental health conditions such
as anxiety and depression, to cope better through the craft of bread making. The programme
enables them to learn basic bread making techniques which they can further develop should
they be keen to pursue it as a hobby, starting their own home-based business or even as a
professional career.

3. The first run of the ‘Breaditation’ programme commenced on 7 June 2022 at SSA’s studio and
will end on 2 August 2022. Participants of the programme work on eight bread recipes
facilitated by the chefs at SSA Culinary Institute. They learn to make wholemeal loaf, sambal
ikan bilis bun, Japanese milk bun and focaccia bread. The SSA chefs had earlier undergone
the “Healing Friends Training” conducted by Club HEAL to help them to communicate
effectively with persons in recovery and build supportive relationships with the participants.

4. Learning bread-making at SSA Culinary Institute has many benefits for the clients. Club
HEAL's clients are required to travel to and from the venue on their own via public transport
which encourages them to be independent. The bread-making sessions require them to pay
close attention to the instructions and steps involved in the various recipes while the different
stages of bread-making, such as kneading and shaping, helped to hone their listening,
communication and social skills. Kneading is also a great way to release tension so the
participants feel less anxious too. They feel a sense of accomplishment and more positive

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with each successful bake and there is comfort and fulfilment in being greeted by the smell of
freshly baked bread coming out of the oven. The programme has sparked the participants’
interest in bread-making and they feel inspired and hopeful as they may develop this as a new
hobby, or motivate them to venture into more learning opportunities to sharpen their skillset.

5. Suhaimi Salleh, President and CEO of SSAGroup, said, “At SSA, we are a strong advocate
for mental health awareness and feel the need to voice out against the stigma of mental
illness. We hope that through the ‘Breaditation’ programme, participants will feel more
empowered by their creations.”

6. Dr Radiah Salim, Founder and President of Club HEAL, wholeheartedly agrees, "The
collaboration with SSA Culinary Institute on the 'Breaditation' course is really beneficial for the
participating clients in Club HEAL. They receive not only the therapeutic benefits of bread-
making, but also increase their self-confidence through learning new skills. We are grateful to
SSA Culinary for this opportunity."

7. William said, "I am enjoying the course very much. 'Breaditation' is a very unique concept and
I am learning a lot from the experience. I also find it great to bond with the other peers in Club
HEAL through bread-making. I am determined to pick up more courses in baking in future –
perhaps in pastry-making next!"

For media queries, please contact: Humairah Suhaimi
AVP – Operations
Sumaiyah Mohamed
Programme Coordinator, Corporate SSA Culinary Institute
Communications
Club HEAL Contact Number: +65 9021 3432
Contact Number: +65 9199 3536
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

About SSA Culinary Institute

SSA Culinary Institute is one of the brands under the SSA Group. The Group which was
established in 1986 is a group of companies providing a suite of professional services that include
training, management consulting and estate planning services. It has grown to be one of
Singapore’s leading service providers in transforming and empowering the quality of its workforce
as well as enhancing the capacity and capability of businesses globally.

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About Club HEAL
Club HEAL was formed in 2012 by a group of like-minded individuals who have a strong passion
in helping people with mental illness and their families. Club HEAL aims to assist and empower
people with mental health challenges to regain confidence in themselves and work towards
community reintegration through rehabilitation and purposeful work. Club HEAL also supports
and enables their families to provide better care during their recovery journey. It promotes the
healing and recovery by inspiring Hope, Empowering lives, fostering Acceptance and spreading
Love. Services provided by Club HEAL include day rehabilitative services, counselling, home
visits, public education, support groups and volunteer training.
The following are some photographs taken during the ‘Breaditation’ programme. Please contact
Club HEAL should you require images in high resolution.
i) William (left) and another participant with their wholemeal loaves

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ii) Chef Fathiyah (in red) from SSA briefing the participants
iii) Participants listening attentively to the instructions.

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