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How Citi APAC is encouraging CSR through partnered mentorships to tackle youth employment

How Citi APAC is encouraging CSR through partnered mentorships to tackle youth employment

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In a first for the Global Consumer Banking business globally, 74 Analysts and Associates mentored 15 youth-led social enterprises in the region to refine their business strategies as they seek to strengthen and expand their operations

Citi Asia Pacific has piloted a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme for the bank’s Global Consumer Banking (GCB) analysts and associates in Asia Pacific, to give early career employees who are part of its graduates programmes the opportunity to mentor youth-led social enterprises in the region.

Through the programme, 74 Citi GCB analysts and associates  have partnered 15 social enterprises in the region to refine and articulate their mission, vision, impact, and strategy as these social entrepreneurs seek investments to further grow and strengthen their operations. This included addressing various areas of focus including expansion into new markets, refinement of marketing and growth strategies, development of pricing policies, as well as performance measurement.

The 15 social enterprises, the bank shared, are part of Youth Co:Lab, a programme co-created by the Citi Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme in 2017. This programme aims to tackle youth unemployment in Asia Pacific by supporting young social entrepreneurs, as they accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through their businesses.

Brief details on some of the initiatives involved

For Advisory Singapore, a youth-led non-profit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices, the Corporate Social Responsibility program helped to identify key financial metrics to be shared when pitching for investment funding.

Together with Citi employees, the team from Advisory Singapore also considered growth strategies for markets outside of Singapore. This mentorship programme, which runs from June to September this year, mentors students aged 16 to 28 from a range of educational institutions and backgrounds.

Over in Cambodia, JUNLEN which promotes the recycling of organic waste via vermicomposting is launching a website as part of its new digital sales strategy, developed in partnership with Citi employees. The social enterprise is currently working with smaller farmers in Cambodia to create a network of earthworm farms across the country.


Photo / 123RF

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