The Citi-HKCSS Community Intern Program
Fosters Corporate Social Responsibility in Local Business University Students
75 Business Students Completed Internships in 40 local NGOs this summer
Hong Kong – The 2019 Citi-Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) Community Intern Program (CIP) is in its 9th year running. This year, 75 business students from 10 local universities completed their internships in 40 local NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Hong Kong, utilizing their business knowledge and expertise to help build capacity for the NGOs to meet social needs.
The Recognition Ceremony held today was officiated by Ms. Angel Ng, Chief Executive Officer, Citi Hong Kong and Macau, and Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
Sponsored and organised by Citi and co-organized by The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), the program is the first-of-its-kind cross-sector collaboration between academia, business and the NGO sector which offers a unique opportunity for students majoring in business studies to intern in local NGOs. The aim is to inspire the students to contribute their knowledge and expertise to NGOs to help these organizations build capacity, as well as to cultivate the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the students and to provide them with a broadened understanding of the community. Since its inception in 2010, more than 600 students and over 234 NGOs have participated in the program.
Ms. Angel Ng, Chief Executive Officer of Citi Hong Kong and Macau said, “Although the 2019 program has been completed with great success, the spirit of it never ends. Young people are the masters of our future, I hope all of you will treasure your experience in this meaningful program. In future, you have to keep your enthusiasm, determination and commitment to care for our community, help the needy and most importantly, to promote and pursue corporate social responsibility in order to build a harmonious society.”
Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, Chief Executive of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service said, “I would like to express my gratitude towards all partners for supporting the Citi-HKCSS Community Intern Program (CIP) in past years. This year, we are glad to have Hang Seng University joining, which has made the program more influential. This is a program that fully illustrated cross-sector collaboration of academia, business and NGO sectors, and the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility is cultivated by this tri-sector cooperation. I am delighted to know that the student interns are equipped with essential skills in workplace and a broaden understanding of the community through the program. And I am happy to share that more than 90% of the placement organizations are satisfied with the student’s performance on marketing promotion, brand building and event management. They agreed that the students’ work had helped the organizations develop their scope of service.”
Three participants in the program were awarded the “Grand Award for Excellence” in recognition of their outstanding performance during their internships. They were: Chun Wing Yin from City University of Hong Kong; Yip Hoi Ying from Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and Chan Lok Ting, Joyce from The University of Hong Kong.
Said City University of Hong Kong’s Chun Wing Yin, “Through the internship opportunity at CTU Education Foundation Limited, I was able to understand the challenges faced by the unemployed and people going through on-the-job training first-hand, and offer them tailor-made solutions. The internship also offered me the chance to challenge my misguided perception that only social workers were capable of playing a part in tackling social issues. The Citi-HKCSS Community Intern Program (CIP) has provided me with an internship opportunity unique from those in commercial firms – besides gaining and practicing curriculum knowledge, I can also develop a deeper understanding of the community, reflect on my values and give back to society.”
The participating NGOs cover a wide range of social welfare needs of diverse social groups such as low-income earners and their families, students with special educational needs and people with disabilities, and also promote environmental awareness.
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About HKCSS
The HKCSS is an umbrella organisation of more than 480 agency members that provide over 90% of the social welfare services in Hong Kong. HKCSS launched the Caring Company Scheme in 2002 to build a cohesive society by promoting strategic partnership among business and social service partners and inspiring corporate social responsibility through caring for the community, employees and the environment. HKCSS puts much effort in building capacity for social enterprises through the Social Enterprise Business Centre (SEBC) to advance social entrepreneurship and mobilize social innovation.
Additional information may be found at www.hkcss.org.hk | Facebook: www.facebook.com/hkcssfans
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube:www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi |LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi
For further information, please contact:
Social Enterprise Business Centre, HKCSS
Candy Wong Tel: 2876 2494 [email protected]
Corporate Affairs, Citi Hong Kong
Avis Kong Tel: 2868 8989 [email protected]