TORONTO,
Sept. 18, 2014 /CNW/ - This morning,
a group of senior Canadian business leaders will engage with youth
in Rexdale to understand the barriers they face in accessing
employment and to assess how businesses can make a positive
difference. The leaders are participating in Prince's Seeing is
Believing (PSIB), an experiential learning program created 25
years ago by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In
Canada, PSiB has engaged more than
120 corporate leaders across the country over the past two and
one-half years in tackling critical social issues.
"PSiB gives senior business leaders first-hand
insight into youth employment issues," said Amanda Sherrington, President & CEO of
Prince's Charities Canada. "The program was born from a simple but
powerful idea - to close the gap between the boardroom and the
community."
Leaders will tour the Rexdale neighbourhood
through the eyes of local youth, and then listen to their journeys
and challenges at the Rexdale Community Hub. At the end of
the day, senior business leaders will work together to strategize
how responsible business practices can make a practical difference
and then drive their implementation.
"There are a range of practical challenges
facing Rexdale youth," said Mrs. Sherrington. "PCC and its senior
business partners are building a collaborative model in Rexdale
that links business-to-business, and business-to-community in
common cause to tackle these problems. We don't want to reinvent
the wheel, but rather to enlist business expertise to 'supercharge'
existing initiatives. The goal is to build from the community-up a
working model that has real and measurable impact in Rexdale, and
which can be adapted, scaled and replicated in other
neighbourhoods."
The group includes: KPMG, Scotiabank, RBC, George Weston
Limited, Brookfield, First
Canadian Title, Retail Council of Canada, Carillion Canada, PwC, LCBO, and
Telus.
Previous visit days have generated jobs, internships, improved
access to capital, marketing support, and mentorships, as well as
enterprise and business development support.
SOURCE George Weston Limited