- ECS Group and Global GSA Group are building up towards their first Impact Week next month, encouraging employee engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility
- Impact Week is a key milestone within the groups’ Charity Program, launched in January 2023, which allows all staff to dedicate one day per month to a charitable cause of their choosing
- Impact week is supported by an internal engagement platform that offers over 5,000 volunteering activities and access to 11,000 charities across the world
Whether it’s an hour, a day, or multiple moments throughout the week, the aim of Impact Week, which will run from 16-20JUN25, is to inspire and inform ECS Group and Global GSA Group employees on the many options available to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility. Intended as an annual event, Impact Week is part of the group’s Charity Program, launched two years ago, which gives employees one paid day per month to invest in volunteering for a charity of their choice.
Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the fabric of ESC Group and Global GSA Group, and their Charity Program, established in January 2023, focuses on giving back to society in four key areas: child protection, education, environment protection, and helping people in need. A carefully selected digital platform supports the program. It offers access to over 5000 volunteering opportunities and 11,000 charities worldwide, covering a large spectrum of causes. It also suggests hundreds of challenges that staff can participate in to raise awareness of environmentally friendly practices, diversity and inclusion, mental and physical health, or well-being at work.
“Over the past two years since the official launch of our Charity Program, our employees have been involved in an impressively varied range of volunteering activities from Aviation Sans Frontières assisting with humanitarian shipments, to youth employment coaching, to supporting young orphans with everyday tasks, for example,” says Jean Ceccaldi, Chief Executive Officer of ECS Group. “And in those two years, ECS Group has grown and seen many new colleagues join the company. The idea of Impact Week, therefore, is to raise internal awareness of our Charity Program, make it more tangible, inspire participation, and to give guidance on how to get involved. We want to foster a spirit of solidarity and collective action.”
“Our entire group – all entities and all employees – is encouraged to participate in Impact Week on a voluntary basis. Whether they donate an hour of their time, a day or even longer (naturally in coordination with their management to ensure day-to-day operation are not disrupted), is up to them,” states Aytekin Saray, Chief Executive Officer of Global GSA Group. “The important thing is that we get everyone on board and inspired by the many participation options in our digital platform. Not that these are by any means exhaustive. Our employees can also suggest new initiatives and integrate them into the platform, thus also opening them up to their colleagues.”
As well as suggest participation possibilities, the platform also allows users to track their personal impact, stay informed about their colleagues’ initiatives through a live news feed (including pictures and posts), and ultimately fosters a sense of community and shared purpose as they get to know more about what drives them.
Some examples of how ECS Group and Global GSA Group staff volunteer their time and energy are:
- Collecting and delivering non perishable food and everyday necessities for people in need.
- ‘Aviation Sans Frontières’ logistics support at Paris Roissy Airport, inspecting, packing and dispatching humanitarian freight.
- Participating in daily life with children at a children’s home: helping at mealtimes, bath time and bedtime, reading stories to the little ones and organising fun activities for the older kids.
- Community kitchen: preparing and serving hot meals to local residents experiencing hardship.
- Youth employability coaching: mentoring young people from under resourced neighbourhoods: refining their career plans, polishing CVs and practising interview skills.
- Rehabilitation centre for the homeless: helping people living on the streets to regain confidence and rebuild their lives.
- Post earthquake relief in Türkiye (Feb 2023): volunteers travelled to Gaziantep province to distribute clothing and help construct container housing.
- Play-based sessions for autistic children: stimulating children through play, warmth, and enthusiasm to encourage communication and confidence.
“I am pleased to report that our charity initiatives are not limited to within our companies, but that some of our customers also volunteer together with us,” Jean Ceccaldi confirms. “Last year, for instance, AVS in Thailand and Thai VietJet Air cooperated to provide essential supplies (including a large donation of milk), to communities affected by severe flooding in Northern Thailand, impacting over 8,000 families. We are also planning joint initiatives with other airline partners as part of our upcoming Impact Week, including a collaboration with Corsair through Aviation Sans Frontières, for example. Be sure to following our progress on LinkedIn during Impact Week, and do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to join us in making an impact.”
