BUSINESS: 468 PRACTICES
Vodafone Greece is a leading telecommunications provider of mobile and fixed telephony, internet and TV services. Investing in digital infrastructure, Vodafone is recognised as a partner that credibly supports the needs of businesses and consumers.
Read more: www.vodafone.gr
The action of the Vodafone Foundation in Greece began in 2002, aiming through the utilization of the unlimited possibilities of telecommunications technology to contribute to addressing key social issues. By combining the power of technology with social contribution, the Vodafone Foundation invests in improving the quality of life of our vulnerable fellow citizens through the implementation of programs and actions related to health, education and social integration.
Guided by the phrase "Connecting for Good" - which sums up its entire philosophy - the Vodafone Foundation has cooperated with and supported more than 90 Organizations to date, strengthening, with its work, Civil Society.
In 2010, the Vodafone Foundation, taking into account the high rate of unemployment in our country and wanting to contribute to the strengthening of youth employment, started implementing the World of Difference program. Through the program, every year 10 young people, aged 18-35, have the opportunity to work for 6 months in the Non-Profit Organization of their choice, while the Vodafone Foundation covers their salary and employer contributions. Young people, using technology, create digital tools with the short-term goal of strengthening the work of NGOs and the long-term creation of a non-discriminatory society with equal opportunities for all.
Young people, living in an environment that is full of challenges, are looking for opportunities for their further development. Through World of Difference, the Vodafone Foundation aims to create opportunities for further training and work experience, while strengthening the work of NGOs in our country.
Young people aged 18 to 35 from all over Greece, regardless of having work experience.
The program concerns six months of salaried employment and has been implemented continuously since 2010.
The Vodafone Foundation, assessing the potential of telecommunications technology in the development of the work of NGOs in Greece and taking into account the serious challenges faced by both young people in their search for work and NGOs in their sustainability, created World of Difference. The purpose of the program is twofold: on the one hand, it seeks to strengthen the new generation that wishes to be active in Civil Society, helping them to claim new opportunities for professional development, and on the other hand, to contribute to the optimization of the work of NGOs in our country, offering at the same time to society .
Based on the above, every year since 2010 it has given young people aged 18 to 35 the opportunity to contribute to the NGO project of our country through their work, covering their salary and employer contributions.
Each cycle of the program is divided into three phases: In the first phase, those interested are asked to fill in and submit an application, indicating the Organization they want to work for and the work they will do, along with some qualitative and quantitative data they want to achieve. If their application is accepted, they are invited to go through an interview with representatives of the Vodafone Foundation, where they will present their project in detail. After the first round of interviews, the Vodafone Foundation team narrows down 15 candidates, who move on to 15 runners-up. Finally, the jury of the program, which also consists of representatives of other Institutions of the country as well as personalities with a significant professional career in NGOs of the country, ends up with the 10 finalists who are the big winners. Throughout the duration of the program, the winners must communicate the program in the communication channels of the Organization they are working with in order to promote both their work and the initiative of the Vodafone Foundation. Finally, the ten young people are asked to submit a project progress report at regular intervals in order to monitor their course and the development of their project.
The use of technology and digital tools by the new generation effectively contributes to the development and strengthening of Non-Profit Organizations, as the young people who work in the Organizations, through their work, create the appropriate tools that the organization needs to grow. Creation of mobile applications and online educational material, digitization of the Organization's services and database, strengthening of the Organizations' online presence, creation of integrated social media strategies, design of tools for integrated crowdfunding campaigns, etc., are indicative of some of the areas on the which the winners of the program have worked to date.
A characteristic advantage of World of Difference is the fact that the employment of each young person in the NGO of their choice contributes both to the strengthening of the Organization's impact on society, as well as to the increase of the number of its beneficiaries, but also helps to secure sustainability resources for the NGO. As the salary and employer contributions are covered by the Vodafone Foundation, the Organization is exempt from paying payroll and the amount of money it would give for payroll needs, can be absorbed in its operating costs.
Living in an age where we experience huge changes and challenges every day, technology plays a key role in improving our lives. In addition, it is proven that the proper utilization of technology for social contribution leads us to the creation of commendable tools that will contribute to the common good.
The Vodafone Foundation, with the creation of the World of Difference program, moved in this direction, having so far offered employment to 109 young people, while contributing to strengthening the work of 94 Non-Profit Organizations throughout the country. The program has indirectly benefited more than half a million of our fellow human beings, confirming its multiple benefits for society over time.
On the occasion of the completion of ten years of implementation of the program, the Vodafone Foundation, wanting to measure the social impact of World Of Difference on society, carried out a Social Impact Measurement (SIM) study. This study was implemented by the team of the Social Impact Assessment & Measurement Service of HIGGS, the 1st Incubator & Accelerator for NGOs in Greece. According to the results of the survey, from those who answered the questionnaires, it follows that:
45% of young people were not working before participating in the program.
85% of winners continue to work of which 35% continued their work in the same NGO, 17% in another organization and 33% used their knowledge to work in another field.
In addition, wanting to study the impact of the Social Value produced in the years 2018 to 2020 of the program, he used the SROI (Social Return on Investment) methodology. The SROI methodology is a method of measuring the social value of a project, taking into account the experiences of those directly involved in the action. every €1 invested in World of Difference produces a social value of at least €3.1. The survey is available here
The program is aimed at young men and women who want to work in an NGO active in Greece.
From 2020, Vodafone Foundation's strategic partner for the implementation of the program is HIGGS, the 1st Incubator & Accelerator for NGOs in Greece, which offers winners and Organizations the knowledge and tools they need to bring innovation to their work.
Initially, the HIGGS team offers an open training course to prepare the application for participation. Then, it offers the 10 new winners and the Organizations, closed counseling seminars. These seminars analyze, among other things, ways of planning and monitoring their work, as well as the creation of reports to evaluate their results. Each winning organization has, in addition, the opportunity to hold a personal meeting with specialized partners of the Organization, over 7 different thematic sections (Strategy, Finding Resources, CSR, Volunteers, Legal, Accounting, Marketing).
For the implementation of this specific program, the Vodafone Foundation team as well as the Vodafone Group press office team work systematically.
World of Difference, in its 11 years of implementation, has created a strong social footprint in society, contributing both to the professional development and upgrading of the knowledge of the new generation, as well as to the upgrading of the work of NGOs.
Specifically, the program until 2020 that was conducted and the research:
had received more than 2,300 applications
had offered employment to 89 young people (60% women, 40% men), today the number reaches 109.
contributed to the strengthening of the project of 81 NGOs in Greece (72% in Athens, 28% in the region) – today the number reaches 94.
has indirectly around , today the number reaches half a million of our fellow human beings: (21% PWD, 16% Child & Family, 7% Homeless, 4% Refugees, 15% Other Vulnerable Social Groups, 9% Students & Young People, 4% Third Age , 4% Educational, 4% Carriers, 3% Animals, 13% Others)
the participants' projects are linked to 13 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Finally, World of Difference has contributed to the strengthening of the Vodafone Group's corporate social profile as its contribution to the creation of professional development and training opportunities for the new generation is proven in practice and with quantitative data. Through the program, the country's human resources are strengthened and the Vodafone Foundation is inextricably linked to this event.
