Novartis UK announces charity partnerships to support social mobility commitments
London, 25th April 2022 – Novartis UK has announced new partnerships with local charities to provide volunteering support as part of its annual community partnership day – aimed at improving social mobility across the UK. The company has partnered with Founders4Schools and Social Mobility Foundation and provided financial support to two new OnSide Youth Zones in White City (WEST Youth Zone) and Grimsby (Horizon Youth Zone).
Enabling social mobility and helping people across the country to realise their full potential, no matter their background or location, is a key commitment for Novartis UK. Bold partnerships are considered fundamental to making this possible. By collaborating with industry leading charities, the company is aiming to champion social mobility to deliver positive change across the UK.
Associates will be empowered to volunteer with these charities, with each associate allocated eight hours across the year. Associates will share their knowledge and expertise with young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, offering a range of support including mentoring, career guidance, application support and CV workshops.
Amanda Stuart, Head of Communications and Engagement at Novartis UK, commented, “I am proud we are partnering with these brilliant charities, and I was honoured to recently meet them to discuss how we can be the best possible partner for progress in social mobility. I am determined be a champion for this important topic, having the difficult conversations and asking the tricky questions when necessary. I have strong hopes that we can help to encourage brilliant young people in the UK into a career within the Life Sciences where they might not have previously considered one.”
Sherry Coutu, Founder and Managing Director at Founders4School, noted, “We’re always looking to grow our base of our role models from companies such as Novartis, so this partnership is key to achieving our goals. In particular, partnering with Novartis is a great step in achieving our ambition of increasing the number of people going into STEM subjects.”
Sarah Atkinson, Chief Executive at Social Mobility Foundation, commented, “It’s important for us to help organisations have the difficult, open conversations about what social mobility is to drive positive change. We are delighted to work with Novartis UK so the company can be a social mobility champion across the whole sector.”
Kathryn Morley, Chief Executive at OnSide, said, “Social mobility is at the heart of what Youth Zones do across the country. Youth Zones play a transformative role in helping thousands of young people from diverse backgrounds achieve their full potential and defy social limitations. We’re so grateful for this support from Novartis to help us provide life-changing opportunities for even more young people, in two new areas – West London and Grimsby.”
Novartis UK is committed to strengthening these bold partnerships during 2022 and beyond to deliver long-lasting progress within communities to ensure that no one has to wait for an extraordinary life.
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About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we strive to use innovative science and digital technologies to create treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world.
In the UK, we employ approximately 1,500 people to serve healthcare needs across the whole of the UK, as well as supporting the global operations of Novartis. Since 2014, Novartis has invested over £200 million in R&D and is a leading sponsor of clinical trials, in the UK. For more information, please visit www.novartis.co.uk.
About Founders4Schools
Founders4Schools is an award-winning charity that connects young people and their educators with a network of inspirational volunteer role models who share their career stories to better inform young people about the world of work, so they make better decisions about their future careers. They do this to improve the employment chances of young people and support businesses in developing their talent pipeline.
About Social Mobility Foundation
The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is a charity which aims to make a practical improvement in social mobility for young people. The SMF was founded in 2005 by Linkson Jack (who served as Chief Executive until January 2009) in order to provide opportunities, and networks of support for 16-17 year olds who are unable to get them from their schools or families.
About Onside
OnSide is a national charity that believes all young people should have the opportunity to discover their passion and their purpose. To find out what they’ve got and where it could take them. We fund and build state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound Youth Zones in the country’s most economically disadvantaged areas. We train the amazing people that run them. We offer continuing support – and the nationwide OnSide Network where they can learn and grow, share their stories and celebrate their success together.
These are brand new, purpose-built spaces fizzing with energy, and crammed with incredible facilities. They offer 20 activities each night including football, climbing, DJ-ing and drama, for just 50p entry or £5 annual membership. They are staffed by skilled and dedicated youth workers who truly believe in young people – helping them see what they could achieve, and giving them the skills, confidence and ambition to go for it.
There are seven new Youth Zones currently at different stages of development: Crewe, Grimsby, Barnsley, Preston, south Bristol, Thurrock and Hammersmith and Fulham. Each Youth Zone is an independent charity with its own private sector-led board. This model of local ownership is a key factor in ensuring the financial sustainability of each Youth Zone. The Youth Zone provides a way for local communities to actively support their young people between the age of 8 and 19 (25 for those with additional needs). Visit www.onsideyouthzones.org for more details.
Novartis UK is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @NovartisUK at www.twitter.com/novartisuk
Novartis UK Media Relations
Novartis UK Press Office
Tel: 07771 541 379 / 01276 698 691
E-Mail: [email protected]
UK | April 2022 | 206112
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