For those of you who know me personally, it comes as no surprise that giving back to the community is something I am truly passionate about. Working at Symantec gives me the opportunity to change the world by giving back and working alongside my colleagues to help non-profits and local organisations.
This year Global Service Week was introduced, during which 6200 volunteer hours were logged and $195k was donated in a single day by Symantec employees — this was double matched by Symantec resulting in nearly half a million dollars to the not for profit community in a single day.
I am extremely proud of the EMEA leadership team who volunteered at Elevate Me, an initiative that offers mentoring programmes for 16 to 24 year-olds to support their efforts in education and employment. Mock interviews and speed networking activities were held to help the participants increase their confidence and improve their communication skills. The team were impressed with how engaged the young people were and feedback showed that 100% felt more prepared for their next interview and 78% said the speed networking was very useful.
Over the last year, volunteering hours have also assisted Camara. This amazing charity refurbishes hardware destined for landfill, loads it with educational resources and provides it to communities in developing countries, giving disadvantaged children the opportunity to learn modern day skills.
With support also going to Teen Tech, Saudi Electricity, the Irish Girl Guides, and more. Participation in the Safer Internet Day revealed that 1 in 6 of our latest generation have shared a photo online in the past hour. More revealing is their attitude to privacy and security. Almost a quarter (23%) said they don’t know how to control who can see what they post on social media, and only 51% of 8 to 17 year olds said they always think about what personal information they could be sharing before they post online. It’s essential we continue on our mission to keep the world’s information safe and reflect our fundamental commitment to make the world a better place.
Power of Good: Send me your ideas or drop a comment on what CSR projects you’re involved in.