ENGAGE is an international campaign designed to increase the impact of employee volunteering by bringing companies together to take action in the community. Building on the first ENGAGE ‘Journey of Opportunity’ Action Day in 2008, Community Business is delighted to launch the Campaign again in Hong Kong where teams of employees from a number of companies will join together on Friday 3 April 2009 to contribute their time and skills to help build the aspirations of young people in Tin Shui Wai.

Background
The Community Business Leadership Team (CBLT) is a unique group of business leaders in Hong Kong committed to corporate social responsibility. Representing over 30 companies across a range of industries, the CBLT recognises that it has access to valuable resources that can be pooled and applied to the benefit of the local community. For a full list of CBLT member companies, please view our Membership List.

History
Through a stakeholder engagement process, the CBLT chose to focus on the needs of young people in Tin Shui Wai in 2008. To this end, it developed the concept of the ‘Journey of Opportunity’ Action Day held for the first time in May 2008. The purpose of this event is to bring member companies together to contribute their time, skills, and resources (including financial and in-kind donations) to make a positive impact on the lives of aspiring young people from one of the poorest districts in Hong Kong.

Concept
Building on the success of last year, the CBLT will hold the second ENGAGE ‘Journey of Opportunity’ Action Day on Friday 3 April. The ‘Journey of Opportunity’ Action Day is designed to build the aspirations of young people and show them the opportunities they have for further education and employment. During the journey of opportunity, corporate volunteers will act as mentors for the day and accompany the young people on a visit to a tertiary education institute, followed by an interactive visit to a corporate office and dinner/debriefing session.

Objectives

• Broaden the vision of young people and inspire them to think about their futures.
• Encourage them to continue their studies.
• Provide them with access to people and experiences they would not otherwise have.
• Motivate them to create a better future for themselves.
• Utilise the unique resources of the CBLT as a group of organisations in Hong Kong to produce a meaningful and sustainable impact.
• Unite various companies to take collective action on a single cause in the Hong Kong community.
• Provide an opportunity for corporations and their staff to engage young people in Tin Shui Wai.

Summary of the Day
Teams of corporate volunteers from a number of companies will spend the day with teams of young people from Tin Shui Wai. They will accompany the youth from Tin Shui Wai on a journey that takes them from their local district to various parts of Hong Kong. Working in partnership with tertiary education institutes in Hong Kong, the young people will experience life on campus and have the opportunity to interact with students. After lunch they will go on to a corporate office where they will be given insight into the world of work whilst focusing on developing key workplace skills.

Corporate Participation
Corporate involvement is an integral part of the ENGAGE ‘Journey of Opportunity’ Action Day. Community Business encourages CBLT members to be involved in the event in at least one of the following ways:

1. Funding or in-kind support
2. Corporate hosts
3. Corporate volunteers
4. Summer placements

For more information about the ways in which your company can be involved, please contact Ada Wong, Community Business Corporate Citizenship Manager via email or telephone at 2152 1889.