Most organisations occasionally want to just do something that feels good. And this year it’s personal.
With rising levels of stress and anxiety in young people, as a direct response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, many business leaders are thinking about how their organisations can support their own children and their future workforce to thrive, as life returns to normal.
Whilst some officially label this Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and proudly present a boost in positive brand association to their board, others go about it in a more discreet, and often more meaningful way.
7 years ago, Alan Oliver of Ex Libris, a ProQuest Company, saw our very own Gavin Oattes speak at an event put on by the Scottish Library & Information Council.
Whilst initially skeptical about “motivational speaking”, Alan was enthralled by Gav’s talk and encouraged his employer to get Gav in to deliver a session at their annual company kick-off meeting.
And so began the beginning of a great partnership…
Alan understood that a large part of what Tree of Knowledge do is supporting schools; teachers and pupils; to grow in confidence and to be the very best version of themselves.
Alan persuaded Ex Libris, that instead of spending the £500 allocated annually on Christmas cards, they should give that money to Tree of Knowledge, to go and deliver inspirational training to disadvantaged schools across Scotland.
Instead of Christmas cards that year, they sent basic “thank you” letters, explaining that their Christmas card budget had been diverted to support young people – which only ever elicited a positive response from recipients. And so this continued for the next 5 years.
Alan recently shared his concern for young people all over the UK, as well as his own two nephews, with the implications of lockdown on stress and anxiety.
“It’s a real worry. Undoubtedly schools; teachers and pupils; will need a huge amount more emotional and mental wellbeing support than ever before.”
He continued; “We’re really proud of the partnership we’ve had with Tree of Knowledge – they’re genuinely out there making a difference to young people. We would say to any businesses looking to offer support, that engaging with Tree of Knowledge is a brilliant way to do that.”
If you’re interested to offer mental health & wellbeing support to a specific school that is connected to your organsiation, or to young people generally, please contact [email protected] and we can help you figure out a way to make a meaningful difference.