“Omwana ni wa bhone,” as the Jita people of Africa would say, means a child’s upbringing belongs to the community more than its birth givers. As we grow older, it’s important to remain grounded in the importance of our community in shaping our lives. This sense of grounding reminds us that, regardless of the different roles that tie us, it’s our impact initiatives and common responsibility to give back.
This type of mindset has been adapted to Boldr’s purpose: Client, Company, and Community. Taking on a less beaten path, the company’s Outsourcing with Impact model means part of its operations is dedicated to consistent community development partnerships and initiatives. Let’s take a look at our recent efforts towards the continuous fulfillment of our goal to give back to the communities around us.
Earlier this year, Boldr partnered with Kalibrr to help young hopefuls kick start their careers right. Students from universities and trade schools were welcomed by our office to sharpen their skills in their pursuit of that first job. Guided by the University of Southern California Alumni Club of the Philippines and Boldr volunteers, participants got to work on their resume-building and interview skills. The awesome facilitators were hands-on with helping them improve their job-hunting game.
Future professionals and potential industry-changers gear up for the start of their careers with expert guidance
To those familiar with the term, Bayanihan evokes a blissful image of a crowd of people carrying a neighbor’s wooden hut. Inspired by the communal spirit of unity and cooperation, we launched this project with our NGO partners with the aim of improving the lives of the Filipino youth. With this, we discovered modern heroes in the veil of ordinary people to help empower the youth in places like Baseco and Tacloban.
We’ll get by with a smile: the Empower crowd in Philadelphia sharing more than just positive vibes to our youth
Our team traveled to the Empower 2019 conference in Philadelphia and searched for participants for our One Pic, One Line, One Life campaign. The mechanics were simple: smile for the camera and tell us what “empowerment” means to you. For their participation, we pledged donations named to each one of them to help support our youth empowerment project. Heartwarming smiles, touching answers, and an outpour of support for #ProjectBayanihan ensued.
Related Read: Mission-Driven Outsourcing: Coordinated Typhoon Relief Efforts in the Philippines
Albert Einstein once famously remarked: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” A learning space only realizes its full potential if it is creative as well. Having readily available stimulants to the imagination is crucial to a young child’s development.
Our own team members turned the inspiration on and put in the work at a Baseco daycare.
Our team members, quite literally, helped color the lives of the children of Baseco. Armed with goodwill, creativity, and a few buckets of paints and brushes, our very own champs-turned-artists brought more life to a local daycare in the compound. The day ended with all smiles as both sides gained something worthwhile through the cathartic experience of service through creation and self-expression.
Last August 12-14, 2019, our very own Tiffany Salve (Impact Advocate) and Bea Tan (Payroll Associate) represented Boldr’s youth in the 7th Asian Youth Forum. Themed “Establish, Equip, Engage: Youth for 2030 and Beyond,” the forum recognized the Asia-Pacific youth as major stakeholders in pressing public concerns such as socioeconomic inequalities, climate change, demographic shifts, and disruptive technologies.
A whole world of knowledge and experience: Boldr’s representatives pose with their conference teammates.
In the various capacity-building workshops, our representatives were able to step up and hone their abilities as well-rounded bastions of youth advancement. Moreover, Boldr’s representatives helped devise a program that enables the youth to develop technologies that give back to the community through Social Impact. This plan went on to win the event’s proposal contest. With many of Boldr’s own impact work focusing on the youth, this whole forum opened opportunities for bigger and better impact projects in the future.
Also read: Empower 2019: Inspire, Support, and Enable
Boldr’s Zellie Bardullas and Holly McDonald teamed up with Kilometer Zero Drive, a youth-driven community group, to bring aid to the local Agta community in Albay province. They proceeded to go from door to door to provide household and school supplies to the under-served area. The community was elated to receive the donations, as their remoteness from major centers continues to be a challenge for them.
Together with Kilometer Zero Drive, our champs were warmly welcomed by the remote community
While the project succeeded in its objective, our team members also returned from the mission knowing that the work doesn’t end there. With a widened perspective on the plight of marginalized communities, they learned the value of raising awareness and engaging in collective action. They also learned that the community has also been subject to relocation due to the recent activity of Mount Mayon, which caused difficulties in public infrastructure and water supply. The Agtas of Albay wish to have their voice heard on these matters.
“Language Fundraiser” in English, this office-wide activity for Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) saw a complete reversal of the English-only policy that you so often see in schools and offices. We’re all too used to this game, so everybody knew the drill: say a word outside your target language and you pay a fee (a more wholesome version of the curse jar, if you will).
Our managers graced the company Town Hall with traditional attire from across the Philippines.
The fruit of everyone’s participation in our simple game: a whole new set of children’s books!
Applying the Filipino-only policy, a team member who breaks this rule donates one peso for every non-Filipino word. As many of our champs need to speak English to perform their jobs, the game’s mechanics only applied to the office pantry. While this brought camaraderie and educational value to the team, the proceeds went to the expansion of Boldr’s open-access library which is enjoyed by our curious employees and visiting children/scholars alike.
One of our team members’ mother teaches at a local public school in their hometown in Mindoro province. This school is situated in an under-served area and is currently operating above its carrying capacity. One of the concerns brought to us is the hazard caused by the unfortunate state of the classroom floors. The damaged floors have been behind multiple tripping accidents; this learning space and its people surely deserved better.
Our own donation drive helped lay down a better foundation for learning in this Elementary School in Mindoro.
Sourcing donations for the repairs was a challenge to do in their locality, and that’s where Boldr stepped in. We were able to help by spreading the word to our team members and started an internal donation drive. This donation drive alone was able to raise enough funds to partially supply the repairs. Every last cent counted, and the beneficiary was grateful for having this concern brought to a wider audience.
Making a social difference is at the core of our functions, and there is so much more is in store from our dedicated Impact Team! Under the leadership of new Impact Manager Glo Anne Guevarra, exciting new projects, big and small, are sure to continue. In the pipeline for the next couple of months is the Noche Buena project for those who lost their livelihood in the Tacloban Mall Fire, while regular activities continue for our partner NGOs. Also in the works is the Junior Training Center, where Tacloban youth get the chance to receive Boldr’s future-safe BPO training and gain skills that will open more job opportunities for them.
Our Impact Team is always on the move, but their work comes from an even bigger team effort. For what we’ve being doing recently, it’s most often the brainchild of one of our awesome team members. Boldr only helped empower their individual advocacies, but ultimately, it is their passion and willingness that made these projects possible.
Want to learn more about driving social impact in this industry? Interested in making a change? Drop us a line and let us know!