Commit to Change
The world's local bank- USA – Higher education support for students
- France – HSBC Education Foundation
- Korea – Island Watch for a Future Generation
- Malaysia – Reading and Writing Programme
- UK – Thriftwood school
- New Zealand – The Gifted Kids Programme
- China – Rural teacher training course
- UK – Kielder Challenge
- Singapore – Youth Excellence Initiative
- Australia – HSBCkids
- UK and Korea – Outward Bound
- USA – Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- Global – Future First: Investing in our children
- UK – On-line mathematics
- South Africa – Disadvantaged schools
- Brazil – HSBC Solidarity Institute
- USA – Jumpstart
- Thailand – HSBC children's book
- UK – Tall Ships Youth Trust
- China and Hong Kong – Mainland/Hong Kong Exchange Programme in Special Education
- Malta and the UK – Eco-Schools
- UK – HSBC scholars
- India – Madhapur Mandal school
- UK – School governors
- Hong Kong, China, and Brazil – Zippy's Friends
- USA and UK – Teach for America/Teach First
- Canada – York University scholarship fund
- UK – Sailing Academies
- China – Soaring under the sun
- China – HSBC China Charity Federation Fund
HSBC education programme
HSBC in Brazil has partnered with several organisations to provide support for disadvantaged young people in Curitiba, Colombo and São Jose dos Pinhais. These children have already been identified as being at risk and are members of community centres, homeless shelters and adoption agencies.
The education programme has been designed to improve the overall well-being and quality of life for the participating children. The programme teachers are given an orientation by the Institute for Quality of Education, ensuring that the teachers are competent to conduct the programme. The teachers work with the children two days per week, in addition to their normal education, and run the following programmes:
- Physical activity - Focused physical activities are planned for the children and teachers monitor their development with motor skills tests. There is also a partnership with doctors who will provide assistance for any child who is not developing as expected.
- Zippy's Friends - This programme is part of an international initiative to help children learn to understand and deal with their emotions and any emotional difficulties they or others might have.
To read more about HSBC's involvement with Zippy's Friends, click here. To learn more about the Zippy's Friends programme, visit their website.
- Apprentice course - Many adolescents in disadvantaged positions lose their support from institutions and the government at the same time as they are trying to enter the job market for the first time. For many, this puts them back on the streets. The apprentice course provides the opportunity for adolescents to gain qualifications that will allow them to enter the job market smoothly.
- Health support - All children who are part of the programme are given health insurance which covers emergency care as well as routine procedures. For some children, this means a possibility of international adoption.
- Dentistry support - Members of Dental Plenna voluntarily 'adopt' one of the children from the programme and give them free dental care.
- HSBC children's choir - Children in the programme have the opportunity to audition for a place in the children's choir. 40 children practice together three times per week and there is always a performance at Christmas.
- Byte talents - This programme provides basic and advanced instruction in computer science. Students from the HSBC education programme can attend this course, gaining skills which will help them obtain future employment and, from 2007, will be able to gain a qualification in internet programming. This will provide an opportunity for adolescents from some of Curitiba's poorest areas to gain technical computer science knowledge, improving their chances of integrating into the job market. A partner to this programme, Global Technology Brazil, has committed to hire 10% of the graduates of this course.
In addition to HSBC's facilitation of this programme, 20 employees arrange regular activities in which the children can participate, such as the Education Olympics. Currently, there are more than 800 children enrolled in the programme.
