At SAP Canada, community service, volunteerism and corporate social responsibility are core to who we are. In addition to a commitment to volunteerism that saw nearly 2,000 employees give back to their communities last year, we’re also proud to make strategic investments in charities helping to equip youth with the skills they need to tackle society’s challenges and thrive in the digital economy.
Our annual grants cycle gives us the opportunity to make grants to organizations that are helping us fulfill our mission. Given a budget of $250,000, the SAP Canada grants committee, representing a cross-section of Canadian lines of business and offices had the tough job of selecting our not-for-profit partners for 2016.
On behalf of the SAP Canada grants committee, I’m excited to introduce you to the twelve organizations across the country we’ve selected as our partners in building the workforce of tomorrow’s technology leaders.
Business and Education Partnership Waterloo Region –The Apps4Learning program partners elementary and high school students to create a mobile education app. The elementary students create the app idea, company name, logo and artwork. With the help of industry mentors, the high school students are then responsible for programming the app to bring to market.
Jeunes Entreprises du Quebec, Junior Achievement British Columbia and Junior Achievement Central Ontario – These chapters of Junior Achievement are focused on inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through classroom programs, and special events like World of Choices, our partnerships with JA are intended to demonstrate to young people the opportunities that come alongside a career in technology.
Kids Code Jeunesse – One of two new partners brought on board this year, Kids Code Jeunesse is dedicated to giving every Canadian child the chance to learn computational thinking and to code in schools and their community.
Let’s Talk Science – A longstanding SAP partner, Let’s Talk Science brings hands-on science, technology, engineering and math learning to the classrooms of hundreds of thousands of students each year. By making STEM fun, the Let’s Talk Science outreach program showcases the relevance of STEM education for all post-secondary pathways to inspire the next generation to consider a STEM career.
MaRS Discovery District – The MaRS Future Leaders program proves that you’re never too young to think like an entrepreneur. This week-long entrepreneurship boot camp introduces youth as young as 13 to the possibilities of a career as an entrepreneur.
Science World British Columbia – The Future Science Leaders program could be compared to an elite sports team for the most promising young STEM minds, inspiring and challenging them to excel in science and innovation. Last year, SAP taught the youth an introduction to programming using Scratch and Raspberry Pis.
SHAD – SHAD empowers exceptional high school students to recognize their capabilities as tomorrow’s STEM leaders and change makers. SHAD provides over 600 students per year an immersive campus experience during the month of July, innovative programming and an entrepreneurship challenge to unlock the potential of these promising young minds.
The Next 36 – By fast-tracking the development of Canada’s most talented young innovators, The Next 36 is helping to create industry-changing businesses and grow Canada’s long-term prosperity. Each year, The Next 36 selects 36 young Canadian innovators and challenges them to build a business venture or iterate and scale an existing idea with enormous potential.
The Next Big Thing – Our second of two new partners for 2016, The Next Big Thing empowers youth with the tools and skills they need to succeed as entrepreneurs. Through their Fellowship Program and Youth Ambassador Program, TNBT connects young innovators with an influential network, practical business skills, and each other.
University of British Columbia GIRLsmarts4tech program – One of our most successful partnerships, GIRLsmarts4tech inspires young girls to explore technology. By inviting 65 grade 7 girls to the SAP Vancouver office twice a year, we are breaking stereotypes of women in STEM and showing that working with technology is fun.
The corporate social responsibility team, in partnership with SAP Labs Canada has worked hard to build true partnerships with our charitable partners. A grant cheque is only the beginning and we’re excited to explore ways we can collaborate to increase our impact, often through skills-based volunteering.
Like what you read about the organizations above and want to get involved? Let us know by emailing csr.na@sap.com.
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