Charity in motion with the Move for Youth challenge
The third edition of the Move for Youth challenge mobilised 25,250 employees, i.e. more than 20% of the Societe Generale group throughout the world. The goal was to support charities for young people and meet the challenge of covering more than 3 million kilometres together.
Some went all the way around Lake Anosy in the heart of Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo. Some used their lunch break to participate in a group walk in Milan, Italy. Some hiked amidst the 148 hectares of the lush Dahliafleur Nature Reserve, west of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire. Some cycled in the spring sunshine with their colleagues in the heart of New York on a charity bike ride. Some ran a half-marathon along the magnificent coastal route from Brighton to Beachy Head in the UK. Some joined former rugby players and ambassadors Thierry Dusautoir and Christian Califano for a 5k run in La Défense, at the Group's headquarters. Divided into 5,050 teams across 56 countries, so many employees put on their trainers this June to take part in a multitude of sporting challenges based on sharing.
Move for Youth: little streams make a big river of commitment to young people
A phone, an app, a team, fun sporting challenges, a desire to stand for a common cause – perhaps the simplicity of the ingredients in this challenge explains the scale of the response to this latest edition of the Move for Youth challenge. Organised from 31 May to 11 June 2023, this third edition attracted more than twice as many participants as the first edition in 2021.
This collective performance is converted into financial donations, a way of amplifying the commitment of the Societe Generale The Future Is You Foundation and involving each employee locally and individually in this corporate citizenship initiative. The 60 charities we support in France and around the world, which are selected at the Group level, benefit from a collective impetus that takes shape in the heart of the regions. This year, a million euros was donated to these organisations for the education and professional integration of young people.
A new edition dedicated to education and inclusion through sport
Sport dans la Ville, Tibu Africa, PLAY International, Rebonds, Terres en Mêlées, Drop de Béton... With just a few weeks to go before the Rugby World Cup 2023, of which Societe Generale is a Worldwide Partner, charities amongst the beneficiaries of the challenge this year that use sport as a means of education and inclusion are in the limelight.
This choice also reflects one of the convictions held by Societe Generale, and in particular its Foundation: sport can help reveal the potential of young people. By using sport as a major tool for support, the Foundation and its partners aim to work together to encourage the development of each young person and enable them to take hold of their future.
Beyond that, the goal is to make sport a real driver for social impact to create a society in which everyone can find their place in the future. This commitment is certainly shared by even more Societe Generale group employees and partners around the world now that Move for Youth 2023 has drawn to a close.