They signed a memorandum of agreement last April 4, 2022 to formally launch Allianz as a partner for YouthCan!.
Allianz has partnered with SOS Children’s Villages Philippines since 2019, but started donating for emergency response since 2018. They have also supported SOS Children’s Villages Philippines through employee giving and volunteering activities.
The partnership focuses on emergency preparedness and youth employability. Recent proofs of their advocacy and contributions include their Typhoon Odette relief efforts in the villages in Iloilo and Cebu their donations to the Digital Village Project, and now the recent launch of Allianz as the pioneer for YouthCan! Mentorship in the Philippines.
YouthCan! Mentorship provides opportunities for corporate volunteers to share their experience and expertise on certain employability skills. These are one-on-one sessions where career coaching between a young person from SOS Children’s Villages and a corporate volunteer mentor is conducted either physically or virtually.
As the most sustainable insurance provider in the world, Allianz advocates for sustainability as part of their purpose in securing a future, and youth empowerment is one of the facets of its partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Philippines.
Sustainability and Chief Marketing Officer Gino Riola emphasized the reason for this partnership:
“Part of that message of securing a future is helping the youth be empowered to have proper skills training and livelihood training to help them in terms of preparing for the future.”
He also stated that it’s important for the youth to have training so that they may be “guided in asking the right questions and be mindful of the right things when thinking about their future”, as many youths don’t know how to begin preparing for it.
Taking any first step to preparing for the future can be daunting, but any opportunity that will help them in the future must be taken. Allianz’s President and CEO Alexander Grenz encourages the youth who will be mentored by the company’s volunteer-mentors: “Make the best out of it. Be open-minded, be listening, give a lot of feedback, try to apply [what you’ve learned], ask for feedback, and just also have fun and enjoy the program.”
You can visit sosphilippines.org/youthcan to learn more about YouthCan!.