24 July 2020
In 2017, the Macquarie Group Foundation in EMEA directed its strategic grant-making program to fund non-profits supporting social mobility for young people through education and employment opportunities. This targeted grant-making approach was created to achieve the most significant social impact possible, not only using our financial resources, but also the skills and networks of Macquarie employees.
There are many ways in which our employees get involved with our grant partners. Hear from six of our employees about the impact our programs have had on them and their communities.
ReachOut helps change the lives of young people from disadvantaged communities in London and Manchester through one-to-one mentoring. Our grant supports ReachOut's academy and mentoring program.
"As a mentor for ReachOut, we visit a school once a week for mentoring sessions. We work one-to-one with students on academic work, revision and personal growth. It’s really rewarding to see your mentees grow into young professionals."
Ahmod Kibria – Manager, Corporate Operations Group
Leadership Through Sport and Business (LTSB) provides school leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds access to careers in accounting, business and finance. Our grant forms LTSB's principal corporate funding.
"I met with my mentee from LTSB once a month. In our early discussions, I focused on helping him consider better ways to manage his work and study, which involved trying to help him think more laterally about how to approach his courses."
Ruadhan King – Associate Director, Financial Management Group
Dallaglio RugbyWorks (DRW) is a long-term skills development program based on the sport of rugby, which aims to help teenagers outside of mainstream education into sustained education, employment or training. Our grant supports the RugbyWorks program in schools throughout Wales and London.
"As a volunteer with DRW, we’ve organised career insight visits to our offices, attended DRW education sessions at schools, taken part in rugby activities and organised groups of Macquarie employees to participate in the touch rugby tournament each summer, with all entry fees going to DRW."
Laura Thompson – Senior Manager, Financial Management Group
TutorMate harnesses technology to enable volunteer tutors to give children vital reading support from their workplace using an online platform. Macquarie supports two classroom programs in the UK.
"It is such a rewarding feeling to get to know my student and hear the joy he feels when he gets a word right, and to simply connect with a child and make an impact in his early years."
Binta Patel – Senior Associate, Macquarie Asset Management
The BIG Alliance (Businesses for Islington Giving) enables employee volunteering and engagement in a variety of ways across Islington, including working with community, voluntary and not-for profit organisations, employability projects and with colleges and universities.
"I felt it was important to volunteer for this program to help give students access to the knowledge, experiences and networks that they otherwise might not be able to access."
Reshard Ramsahye – Executive, Corporate Operations Group
The Social Mobility Foundation supports high-achieving young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into top universities and professions. Our grant funds the Aspiring Professions Program for students in Birmingham and London.
"I have been volunteering with the Social Mobility Foundation’s E-Mentoring Program for over a year and have mentored two pre-university students so far via email. We catch up periodically and I answer their questions on lots of different topics; either academic, professional or general advice."
Vicky Sun – Analyst, Macquarie Capital
