Youth Time kicked off their Is Corporate Responsibility Key to Sustainability? event with three top speakers. Here's the best bits.
The event Is corporate responsibility a key to sustainability organised by Youth Time International Movement and partners started today!
Participants had an opportunity to learn about various topics such as : UN stance on global issues, the importance of mental health in the workplace and embedding the social impact into the DNA of the organisation.
Michael Berg, the relationship manager of Youth Time International Movement opened the event with a welcome speech on behalf of the organisation, when he suggested to participants not just to be present on the event, but to take an active role during the event
“This event is all about people, about the community and it’s own development.”, emphasised Michael Berg.
Sadek Waleed Opens The Day
The first session was opened by Dr Sadek Waleed, the coach of the sustainable commission of the United Nations, when he introduced participants with the global issues and corporate social responsibility by illustrating how CSR is benefiting the business while following 17 sustainable development goals of the UN.
Dr Waleed emphasised that CSR is the responsibility: a relationship between the business and the corporation. It is a voluntary initiative of a company that contributes to a better society and a greener environment.
“The CSR means improving the quality of: life, label force and families, society, efficiency, local communities, and all elements that can affect the whole world,” said Mr Waleed.
He also emphasised that everyone can give something back to the community: government can reduce taxes, companies can make partnerships with NGOs, employers can take care of their employees, colleagues can be more supportive.
There are a few steps that should be considered such as to evaluate its own position and the business impact, to set up the targets and to prepare the initiative.
CSR at the working place means equality, diversity, and engagement which will help us all together to proceed more.
Also, workplace CSR covers a wide range of innovative best practice initiatives including flexible working arrangements, staff consultation and active management of equality and diversity measures.
Mental Health Tips From The Wellness Center
One of the most important topics during the event was mental health in the workplace. Andriska Ridley-Josiah, the mental consultant of the Wellness Center in Guyana which conducted an online therapy clinic offering free online sessions during the pandemic.
During the second session, participants were introduced with key terms such as mental wellness, burnout and self care.
Mrs Andriska provided a full explanation of the burnout in the workplace and how to be able to recognise it. She offered several techniques that can help to overcome the stage of burnout and that everyone can do at home.
The main causes of impaired mental health is a lack of support, bad time management, current pandemic and the general global situation.
Some of the red flags of burnout are poor memory and job performances, headaches, changes in behaviour and mood such as anger, irritability.
It is an outburst of emotions, high absenteeism, impatience with clients and colleagues, the most we can do for our colleagues is to understand them and to offer them our support, concluded Mrs Andriska.
Final Thoughts From ReImagined Futures
During the third session about embedding social impact into the DNA of the organisation, conducted by Mrs Viliana Dzhartova, co-founder of ReImagined Futures, participants got a deeper insight into the practical examples of the good and bad practices of CSR.
Participants were introduced to social responsibility practices of the largest toy company – Lego group – and leading ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s.
Even though the Lego Foundation invests over $120million per year into research and social impact initiatives such as climate changes, they are still not perfect since all their products are made from plastic.
On the other side Ben & Jerry’s Foundation supports grassroots activism and community organising for social and environmental justice around the USA.
Mrs Dzhartova mentioned Primark as an example of the company who went a long way to reach CSR and is still battling to save its reputation after more revelations of illegal labour practices.
On the other hand, Coca-Cola is trying to act as a socially responsible company while at the same time is causing a lot of global issues, concluded Mrs Viliana.
If you have missed today’s sessions, do not worry, everything is recorded and will be soon posted on our social media channels. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more information.
Join our event tomorrow and get the opportunity to learn about innovative CSR strategies, sustainable energy development, the connection between social responsibility and the innovation and many other things.
Want to know more about the event? Head here for all the details:
Join Youth Time For Week-Long Corporate Responsibility Online Event
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