Working with business for the benefit of all

Posted 19th May 2008 15:37pm by Stephen Howard

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community

Business in the Community is about mobilising business for good. One of our current priorities is climate change. This is an issue that has been driven by The Prince of Wales and culminated in the creation last May of The Prince of Wales’s May Day Network, the largest movement of businesses committed to taking practical action to tackle climate change. We hope that by 2011 we will have 100,000 businesses engaged with the network and committed to take action.

An initiative that we have launched more recently with the support of The Prince of Wales is Mosaic. This is an exciting new mentoring programme to create a resource of successful Muslims, who though their knowledge and experience aim to address the issues facing young Muslims and raise their aspirations.

For the past 18 years we have been taking senior business leaders into communities to visit schools, community groups and prisons as part of The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme. This programme provides a powerful personal experience for participants and enables them to witness effective examples of how business leaders can shape society through their actions, both inside and outside their businesses.

For 25 years we have successfully worked to raise awareness and tackle urban poverty and deprivation. However, in 2001, at the request of The Prince of Wales, Business in the Community launched Rural Action to inspire business to make a difference to the prosperity of our countryside. Working in partnership with companies and other rural stakeholders, Rural Action aims to support rural communities to be vibrant and sustainable

In the current climate we are seeing a rise in global competition, in which people will be the UK’s only certain natural resource for the future. Our work places will see large numbers of unskilled jobs being replaced with high skilled ones. At Business in the Community we are working with business and government on this critical issue to discover how we can unlock a wide range of talent that is hidden in the UK, the aspiration to use them and the enterprise to put them to work.

At Business in the Community we believe that responsible business practice should be part of the DNA of an organisation. It should be an essential ingredient in everything that a business does.
 

Young IMI interns meet challenge to improve Birmingham beauty spot

Posted 20th August 2008 09:28am

Young volunteers from as far afield as USA, Poland and Germany are set to spruce up a Birmingham beauty spot this week (18-20 August), in a community challenge organised by IMI and Business in the Community. The twelve young people, aged between 16 to 24, are part of IMI's intern programme and are visiting the Birmingham-based company to see what it has to offer them. During their stay they will also have the chance to get to know each other while undertaking a variety of team building exercises.

The interns will spend three days at Plantsbrook Nature Reserve in a project organised through Cares, the national employee volunteering initiative of Business in the Community, which gives employers the chance to make a positive impact in their community.

Under the supervision of Plantsbrook's rangers, the young volunteers will carry out a number of activities to support the eleven hectare nature reserve, which features open water, wetland and meadow. Among the tasks the interns will do are cutting back trees and vegetation, rebuilding a pond dipping platform, constructing a floating island for birds and building picnic benches and bird boxes.

Sarah Jackson, IMI's Manager of Trainees and Students said, "Our interns come from all over the UK as well as from abroad. This community challenge at Plantsbrook Nature Reserve is a great way of bringing the young people together to work as a team. It's also a great way of doing something positive for the community, which is important to IMI."

David Darlaston, Regional Director of Business in the Community commented, "Plantsbrook Nature Reserve is a beautiful location and a fantastic resource for the people of Birmingham. I'm sure the local community will appreciate the hard work of IMI's young employee volunteers in improving Plantsbrook and I hope the interns enjoy their stay in the city."

Inaugural Mosaic Talent Awards for Excellence

Posted 27th November 2008 13:15pm

Last night HRH The Prince of Wales, President of Business in the Community, was joined by HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan to celebrate the achievements and positive contributions made to society by young emerging Muslim talent at the Mosaic Talent Awards at the Natural History Museum.

Out of the 57 entries received, 31 finalists were shortlisted for awards in eight categories for their inspirational work in society – Entrepreneur of the Year; Science & Technology; Arts, Culture & Media; Community Leadership (open to all faiths); Sports; Volunteer of the Year; Interfaith (open to all faiths); and International.

The winners were selected because they had set themselves apart in showing extraordinary talent and dedication.

OVERALL WINNERS:
Entrepreneur of the Year Award - Sabirul Islam.
Science and Technology Award - Imran Hakim.
Arts, Culture and Media Award - Ms Zarah Hussein.
Community Leadership Award (open to all faiths) - Positive Prospects (pictured). 
Sports Award - Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation.
Volunteer of the Year Award - Gulistan Aksahin.
Interfaith Award (open to all faiths) - MUJU Crew.
International Award - Islamic Relief.

The inaugural Mosaic Talent Awards for Excellence were held to mark Mosaic’s first year of activity. Mosaic is a Muslim led initiative working to break down barriers across British society, convened by Business in the Community (BITC), one of The Prince’s Charities. It encourages linkages between successful Muslim professionals and disadvantaged young Muslims, in order to raise aspirations and increase access to opportunities for education and employment.

John O’Brien, Managing Director of Mosaic, Business in the Community, said: “We received a staggeringly high standard of nominations for the Mosaic Talent Awards for Excellence, and are delighted that so many of the finalists could be with us for this special occasion tonight.

“As well as highlighting and recognising the positive impact on communities that young Muslims can have, these awards demonstrate the tremendous influence that such strong relationships between businesses and local communities can have on young people of all faiths.

“I would like to personally congratulate all of the finalists and in particular the winners – they are an inspiration to us all and we can all learn from them. This has been a phenomenal year for Mosaic and I look forward to an even more successful year in 2009”.

BITC's Awards for Excellence 2009 now open for entries

Posted 3rd December 2008 16:20pm by Alison Duguid

Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence 2009 are now open for entries. 

These are the UK’s most influential, independent, peer assessed corporate responsibility awards. Run in association with the Financial Times, the awards recognise and celebrate those companies who have shown innovation, creativity and a sustained commitment to corporate responsibility.

The categories available in the Awards for Excellence 2009 are:

• Impact on Society Awards
• Workplace Impact
• Environment Impact
• Community Impact
• Marketplace Impact
• Other Awards
• Leadership Awards

BITC are running a series of workshops for companies planning to enter the Awards,

The closing date for applications is 6th March 2009. For more information including past case studies of winners, application criteria and forms, visit the Awards for Excellence 2009 section of BITC's website.