In advance of the International CSR Summit this month, Singapore Compact’s President, Mr Kwek Leng Joo, said the ambition is to engage more youth, so that they will be able to bring CSR ideas to the workplace and champion CSR when they join the workforce. Awards are being given to teams of students and companies for their CSR achievements. Read More

Announcement by Singapore Compact 18 September 2012:

Singapore Compact to boost CSR by launching Youth membership

A Youth Membership is being created among new initiatives by the tripartite body charged with the responsibility of promoting this value among businesses and institutions here.

Said Mr Kwek: “The passion and energy of our youth should not be underestimated. I believe the future lies in them – the leaders of tomorrow. Youth development is one of the key priority areas for Singapore Compact. The Singapore Compact Youth Membership network aims to nurture a civic minded generation to champion responsible business practices, so that their actions and decisions can make a difference to their future.”

Targeting the youth is intended to lay down the foundation of CSR among future business leaders. A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between SC and the National Youth Achievement Awards Council (NYAA) at the upcoming International CSR Summit 2012 later in September. To kick-start the youth network, SC will welcome from the NYAA Gold Awards Holders Alumni (GAHA), all youth who are keen to learn more about CSR.

The MOU will be signed by SC’s Executive Director, Mr Thomas Thomas, NYAA’s Executive Director, Mr James Soh, and a representative of GAHA.

Said Mr Thomas: “This network aims to realise our new vision to expand outreach to the youth. We are pleased to be working together with NYAA to reach out to their young members and Alumni members.  ”

“We have been working with tertiary institutions since 2006 and we will continue to work with these networks to boost our youth memberships. A Youth Forum on CSR will also be introduced to enable the young to exchange ideas.”

“NYAA Council works with like-minded organisations in various areas of youth development and we are constantly on the look-out for opportunities for our youth to engage their contemporaries and the community. We are delighted to be able to work together with Singapore Compact and we look forward to a partnership that allows our young people to further strengthen their leadership capabilities for the good of the community,” said James Soh, Executive Director of the National Youth Achievement Award Council.

CDL-SC Young CSR Leaders Awards 2012

The winning teams of the CDL-SC Young CSR Leaders Award, inaugurated last year to promote the CSR message among the young, will receive their prize at theSummit. Team SMIL.E Inc, from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), entered a CSR proposal for a security firm.

SMIL.E Inc’s presentation impressed the judges with their clear understanding of the CSR opportunities and challenges facing the security industry. Aside from spending time at the company to better understand their daily business operations, the team also went the extra mile to speak to one of the company’s largest stakeholders – their security guards.

After speaking with a 69-year-old security supervisor about the challenges faced by security officers on the ground, the team decided on “Pledge to Care” as one of the three strategies the team is proposing for the company to adopt as part of responsible corporate citizenship. This proposed initiative aims to increase public awareness of a security officer’s role and encourage a call to action for more appreciation for this group of people.

“It is always inspiring to see how passionate young people are when they are given an opportunity to be a change agent,” said Ms Esther An, CDL’s General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Head of CSR. “We look forward to working with Singapore Compact on next year’s competition and continuing to provide opportunities for young people to make our community a better place to live in.”

This is the second year that the award has been given out. The top three winning teams of this year’s Award are:

First Prize:                 “SMIL.E Inc”

(Nanyang Technological University)

Second Prize:          “Muvericks”

(SMa Institute of Higher Learning – Murdoch University)

Third Prize:               “Sunshine”

(Nanyang Technological University)

International CSR Summit 2012

The theme of the Summit will be “Corporate Social Responsibility: Trends, Threats and Opportunities”.

The opening address to the summit will be delivered by the Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower and Senior Minister of State for National Development. The keynote address, which will set the tone for the summit, will be delivered by Professor

Jeremy Moon, Director of the International Centre for CSR, Nottingham University Business School.

The topics to be covered at the seminar include Changing the Change Agents, Adding Value to Sustainability, Engaging with Networks of Influence, and Why is the EU having a CSR Strategy?. There will also be nine workshops on various aspects of CSR.

CSR Awards 2012

The following are winners of this year’s CSR Awards:

Best Community Developer Award

- CapitaLand Limited (Winner)

- Shell Companies in Singapore (Special Mention)

Caring Employer Award

- Adrenalin Events and Education Pte Ltd (Winner)

- Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium (Special Mention)

Green Champion Award

- NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd (Winner)

- Keppel Land Limited (Special Mention)

Best Workplace Award

- NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd (Winner)

Enabling CSR Journeys – the new publication

Among other measures to hasten the acceptance of the CSR movement is the launch of a new publication to provide practical tips on setting up CSR programmes by businesses and institutions. Enabling CSR Journeys – Knowledge Sharing for Sustainability will feature four interviews of business leaders who have been passionate about embracing CSR in their establishments and cover their companies’ experiences as well as their personal stories in being CSR Champions.

The project is premised on the strategic value of integrating knowledge management (KM) with sustainability implementation in organisations, and, the belief that personal perspectives and experiences are the most impactful way to impart knowledge to others.

The four business leaders are Mr Kwek Leng Joo, CDL Managing Director and SC President; Mr Bert Wong, Senior Managing Director, Fuji Xerox Singapore; Mr Seah Kian Peng, Chief

Executive Officer, NTUC FairPrice; and Ms Deanne Ong, Business Development Director, Origins Exterminator.

Another new introduction by SC this year will be one full-day pre-Summit workshop to be held on 26^th September on CSR for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

For more information, contact:

E-mail:  info@csrsingapore.org

Website: www.csrsingapore.org

Tel: 6827 6825