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Learning & Development

Credit Suisse and StreetWise Partners Build Future Professionals

Tory Clarke

Established in 1997 by young corporate professionals with a desire to volunteer, StreetWise Partners is a social enterprise that has allied with U.S. corporations to help economically distressed individuals achieve lifelong employability. This partnership enables corporations to support volunteer programs in a variety of ways, including funding, the use of corporate facilities, the use of computers and volunteering as mentors or speakers. 

Through the StreetWise Partners Career Ventures programs, corporate volunteers provide mentoring and job coaching for 14 weeks outside of business hours. During this time, volunteer professionals help low-income adults create long-term professional goals, develop job-readiness skills and access employment networks to secure sustainable and career-advancing employment and become employable in the rapidly changing global economy. To date, StreetWise Partners has trained more than 3,500 volunteer professionals to mentor and serve more than 1,000 diverse low-income participants.

Credit Suisse, an international financial services company, has hosted the StreetWise Partners Career Ventures young adult program at its New York headquarters for more than six years. Volunteers from throughout the company and other organizations have served an increasing number of low-income mentees during that period.

Internally, Credit Suisse promotes the StreetWise Partners program to its employees as a volunteer opportunity through its philanthropy newsletter. Credit Suisse volunteers sign up directly with StreetWise Partners at corporate program recruiting events, after which StreetWise Partners manages the selection, placement and training of volunteers before the program start date. 

The easy implementation of volunteer programs in a corporate environment is a key attraction for corporate HR and philanthropy teams. Tina Lesh, a human resources professional in IB Finance and Operations at Credit Suisse, said, “Team development, the creation of networks across the company, the development of leadership skills, the development of public speaking skills, obtaining interview practice and learning how to provide constructive feedback: These are all skills that our volunteers can develop as a result of volunteering in the StreetWise Partners program.

“Participating in the StreetWise Partners program also helps employees learn how to mentor individuals who need guidance. It builds the confidence of the volunteer by allowing him or her to make a real difference in the life of someone who is in need.”

The program collaboration has been a multilevel success. Many Credit Suisse volunteers serve in multiple cycles of the program, and Credit Suisse has even hired a StreetWise Partners mentee.

The following are key criteria for a successful corporate volunteer program:

1. Facilitate ease of implementation. Offer minimum time and resources requirements to start a program. Ideally, the nonprofit will manage all of the operational aspects.

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