The Burberry Foundation partners with new charities to support youth empowerment

Continuing to support the next generation, The Burberry Foundation announce partnerships with two charities, the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and OnSide.

The Burberry Foundation has entered the next phase of its responsibility strategy, providing support for youth across the globe to improve their employable skills and reach their potential. Caroline Laurie, the VP of Corporate Responsibility at Burberry commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with IYF and OnSide. Our commitment to supporting communities is rooted in our heritage and by empowering the next generation and elevating youth voices, we can help our communities thrive. Together, with our combined passion and shared values, we will provide many young people with opportunities to make a positive difference around the world.”

The global non-profit IYF was founded in 1990, creating programmes that have since positively impacted 7.7 million young people in over 100 countries.

Susan Reichle, the President and CEO of the International Youth Foundation, added: “Of course, all young people possess amazing potential, but unfortunately not every young person has the same opportunity to discover it—much less unlock it. Together, The Burberry Foundation and IYF—along with amazing community-based partners—will provide young people with the opportunity and skills they need to unlock their creative power. Together, we’ll equip, support, and inspire young people to transform their lives, communities, and the world.”

Holding similar values to The Burberry Foundation and IYF, OnSide aids the youth to discover their passion and purpose. The charity funds multimillion-pound Youth Zones in the country’s most economically disadvantaged areas.  The existing 14 establishments already have over 50,000 members between the ages of 8 and 19 (25 for those with additional needs).

Kathryn Morley, the Chief Executive of OnSide added: “Creativity and the arts can have a transformational impact on young people, helping them understand more about themselves, their community, and the wider world. We are excited to be working with The Burberry Foundation to unlock the creative potential of young people across the OnSide network through a wide range of innovative projects that will give them new opportunities to create, learn and grow.”

The partnership announcement follows Burberry’s recently released social impact report, ‘Positively Impacting 1 Million People 2017-2022’. This details various initiatives that The Burberry Foundation and its partners have supported over the last five years, which benefitted a total of 1.2 million people through community engagement programmes.