International Day of Charity - Celebrating our Philanthropic Efforts

"Let us recognize charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition. On this International Day, I call on people everywhere to act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being -- to start giving and to keep on giving.

Whatever the case, such generosity and kindness, with no expectation of financial gain, can make profound differences in human well-being."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Message for the International Day of Charity, 5 September 2014

Last week the world celebrated the life of one of our most remembered philanthropic leaders, Mother Theresa. Designated by the United Nations as International Day of Charity, each year on September 5th, the anniversary of the passing of Mother Theresa, the UN asks the world to recognize and celebrate the vast impacts that charitable giving has on our world’s most pressing issues.

At Symantec, philanthropy and charitable giving is core to our mission to protect and manage information so that everyone is free to focus on achieving their goals. In FY14, we donated approximately USD $28 million in cash and software to more than 20,000 nonprofit organizations globally, and employee volunteering increased by 23 percent over FY13 and 73 percent over FY12. We continue to explore ways to increase not only the amount of time and money we contribute, but the impacts of our contributions through a focus on skills-based volunteering that enables our employees to donate their expert skills to maximizing social impact.

Across the world, we are involved in numerous partnerships that enable us to donate vital time and resources to local communities, and our employees are also spearheading their own efforts. Our activities are driven by a tailored community investment strategy, which aligns to four key areas serving the objective of creating a sustainable and diverse future for the technology industry:

• Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education; equal access to education
• Diversity
• Online safety
• Environmental responsibility

In honor of this International Day of Charity, we look forward to bringing you updates on some of our largest partnerships across the globe targeting these focus areas.

Latin America: Mitigating Climate Change and Empowering Local Communities through the Rainforest Alliance

According to recent data, Mexico emitted 709 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMt CO2e) into the atmosphere in 2006, is the twelfth largest emitter in the world based on total greenhouse gas and the agriculture and forestry sector represent 16.3% of total emissions in the country. Additionally, the country is one of 12 countries in the world that together account for 70% of the world’s biodiversity.

To help combat this, the Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit organization whose mission is “to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior”, is working on development of a long-term initiative to reduce emissions related to deforestation while supporting economic empowerment for coffee producers in the Oaxacan region.

The region is one of the poorest in Mexico, and coffee is one of the primary sources of income. Through this Rainforest Alliance lead program Oaxacan coffee farmers will be trained and educated on various sustainable agriculture techniques such as producing shade grown coffee, reforestation of native plants, and more that will help reduce GHG emissions associated with agricultural production, while also improving yields and enabling farmers to qualify for monetary benefits through carbon credits.

US: Encouraging the Next Generation of STEM Professionals through the Boys and Girls Club of America

While the US was once a leader in STEM education and careers, today the country is struggling. For example, in 2011, only 45 percent of U.S. high school graduates were ready for college work in math, and only 30 percent were ready in science. Additionally, African Americans and Latinos make up only 7 percent of the STEM workforce (yet 28 percent of the U.S. population) and only 14 percent of scientists and 12 percent of engineers are women.

The Boys and Girls Club of America, a long standing partner of Symantec’s, is helping us achieve our goal to improve the number, qualifications and diversity of young professionals interested in STEM careers. The organization has various programs engaging youth and providing crucial training and education in technology and the sciences. 

In 2013, the Symantec/BGCA STEM initiative provided funding to ten Clubs in Symantec markets. Over 800 STEM sessions took place throughout the course of the grant, engaging 1,400 Club members in STEM programming.  This year, Symantec will continue the STEM mini-grants with a narrowed focus on eight BGCA sites near Symantec offices. The targeted nature of this year’s program will allow for greater pre/post testing for impact and additional contingency funds available for general support of these clubs to continue their STEM program.

Asia-Pacific: Keeping Parents and Kids Safe Online with Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is another long-term philanthropic partner of Symantec’s helping us equip parents and youth with the education and training needed to stay safe online in today’s complex digital world.  

For example, in 2013, Symantec created a partnership with Common Sense Media, Cyber Safe Kids and the Victoria Department of Education to support a pilot digital citizenship initiative, Growing up Digital. The program provides ongoing, accessible resources to Australian schools, K-12 lesson plans, interactive modules for students and parents and training for teachers. Additionally, in 2012 Symantec issued a grant to develop, pilot, and evaluate Digital Passport™ through Common Sense Media. Digital Passport is a free, web-based interactive learning tool that helps educators prepare their students to use online and mobile technologies independently.

This year, we will continue support of the Growing Up Digital pilot in Australia, including a broader support of their full program expansion in Australia. This includes supporting the development and uptake of additional tools and resources on emerging topics, launching new webinars to support educators’ use of Common Sense Media resources, and implementation of new in-person training sessions.  Additionally, in the fall of 2014, Common Sense will launch "Digital Compass" an engaging "choose your own adventure" curriculum to assist educators with integrating technology into their classrooms.

EMEA: Combatting Bullying and Empowering Youth through Friends

Statistics show that suicide is the most common cause of death amongst young people in Sweden, and many times bullying is the root cause.  Every year, 45 young people under 20 commit suicide, which equates to almost one person a week. Additionally, research from the Karolinska Institute shows that a majority of young people committing suicide have been bullied.

Symantec is partnering with Swedish non-profit Friends to support their programs to train teachers, parents and kids to protect against bullying and suicide.  In the last year, 9,000 kids, 1,200 teachers and 2,000 parents were trained by Friends. In August, Symantec was a key partner in the organization’s Manifest Against Bullying Event in Stockholm providing volunteer support and educating attendees on the role of online safety in protecting kids against cyberbullying. We also look forward to meeting with Friends in September to further define our path forward and partnership this year.

There are numerous ways to get involved with one of our philanthropic partnerships or volunteer efforts! If you are interested please contact community_relations@symantec.com.

Lora Phillips is Symantec's Senior Manager, Global Corporate Responsibility