Günter Geyer Award for social conscience

Because children are our future: equal opportunities for the youngest members of society.

For the second time, Wiener Städtische Versicherung won the Gold Günter Geyer Award for Social Conscience. Austria's largest life insurer is set apart by its broad range of support measures aimed at helping children and young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. As one of the original CAPE10 partners, Wiener Städtische was not only involved in building this special meeting place, it also supports the facility’s day-to-day operations and the continued provision of this vital service: CAPE10 is a centre for people affected by poverty and/or poor health, especially women, children and teenagers. The multi-storey, roughly 5,000m² building houses various social and healthcare institutions, as well as several catering outlets and the Wiener Städtische Schauplatz event space. CAPE10 aims to open up low-threshold access to new experiences for its target audience in a range of areas, including education, art, culture and sport. Unsheltered and unhoused people are supported by volunteer medical specialists and social workers.

Wiener Städtische also supports the Vienna Children's University and sponsors 80 day tickets for the Vienna Children's University each year, which gives children between the ages of 7 and 12 who are living in social institutions a hands-on opportunity to explore the world of science. Participants can attend special lectures at a total of seven universities in Vienna, join in workshops and learn about a wide variety of subjects presented in a child-friendly way. The university experience concludes with a graduation ceremony. In addition to sponsorship activities and financial support, the company provides all 3,000 enrolment bags – including a registration package complete with student ID, T-shirt and various other goodies – for students of the Vienna Children's University free of charge.

Wiener Städtische is also committed to promoting reading and writing among children and teenagers, as well as enabling numerous schoolchildren to attend theatre plays, operas, operettas and concerts through its targeted support for various cultural projects. It also partners the Caritas-operated *peppa girls centre, which provides girls and young women with a protected space that is set aside for private exchange, learning support, new skills development and joint activities.

A big heart for children and Romania's environment.

Social responsibility sets the tone at Romanian insurer Asirom: as part of the company's "We all do good deeds" programme, employees suggested various activities that they would like to form the focus of their volunteer work. In total, the company made a financial contribution to ten schemes. Volunteers also visited children undergoing treatment at Craiova regional hospital’s paediatrics department. The young patients’ faces lit up as they received parcels packed with toys, sweets and toiletries. Sick children in the hospitals in Dolj County were also given Christmas presents. A total of 42 children aged between 6 and 16 from disadvantaged families in the village of Cojesti in Calarasi enjoyed a good meal and were also presented with toys. Another volunteer activity focused on a greening project on a stretch of the river Arieș in Campeni.

In Romania, one Christmas tradition is for young children to put cleaned and polished shoes by the door on the night of 5 December. At least they do if they are hoping for presents from St Nicholas. Sadly, there are still children in Romania today who only rarely receive new clothes and/or shoes. To help address this, a total of 72 Asirom employees donated money to help buy shoes and clothes for children affected by poverty. The company doubled every donation, meaning that more than 200 children in need ended up receiving shoes and clothes.

Asirom employees not only have a strong sense of social commitment – they are also extremely sporty: so much so in fact, that 55 employees took part in the Bucharest marathon which attracts runners from all over the world. Synonymous with community spirit, this annual event works with a number of charitable organisations. The money raised by the Asirom marathon participants was donated to "Pădurea Copiilor" ("Children's Forest"), which has already rehabilitated over 100 hectares of land and set itself the goal of creating new forests in 100 communities in Romania’s Sud-Muntenia region by 2025.

Employees as Ambassadors of Good.

In the spirit of best practice, Bulstrad Life has adopted Hungarian VIG Group company UNION Biztosító’s Ambassador Programme and tailored it to its own purposes: a select group of Bulstrad Life employees are responsible for choosing and organising Social Active Day activities. Within the company they have the honorary title of Ambassadors of Good.

Under the programme, a total of 13 social projects were implemented throughout Bulgaria specifically to help people displaced by the war in Ukraine. Activities included organising support with integration issues and helping people find work, a day trip to Mount Vitosha with Ukrainian women and children, sorting clothing donations together and organising a souvenir-making workshop for a charity bazaar.

Other Social Active Day activities included serving food to people in need, carrying out cleaning work in a senior citizens' centre and taking part in handicraft sessions with children and young people with special educational needs. In the wake of the severe flooding that hit the municipality of Karlovsko, Bulstrad Life employees joined the clean-up operations, helping to clear mud, rubble and sand from the local farms and houses of flood victims. And employees helped to renovate the enclosures, feeding stations, drinking troughs and huts at a municipal animal shelter for strays in Plovdiv.

Individuals displaced by the war in Ukraine also received support independently of Social Active Day, including donations of food and canned goods from employees for Ukrainian mothers and children. The company also made a generous donation to the VIG Family Fund, which was set up with an initial allocation of EUR 5 million by the management of VIG Holding shortly after the outbreak of the war. The funding is intended to cover part of the medium and long-term cost of rebuilding the war-torn country and to support families of Ukrainian Group company employees directly affected by the conflict during the reconstruction process.

Bulstrad Life also has a long-standing partnership with the Ready for Succes initiative, which rewards academic excellence by providing scholarships for orphans and children who have lost one parent. The company has provided scholarships for the past 12 years.

The extraordinary social commitment of Czech Kooperativa has many faces. The company has already been honored twice for its social activities with the Günter Geyer Award for Social Conscience. In this year, the first place went once again to Czech Kooperativa. The company has already established its own foundation in 2013, with which Kooperativa has since been helping civil society. The Kooperativa Foundation is particularly active in the social and health sectors and supports organizations that deal with the prevention and care of mental health, For a long time, they support organizations that help people with disabilities to live a dignified life in the home environment.

The award was won, among other things, for cooperation with non-profit organization Nevypust duši. The collaboration emphasizes prevention, inclusion of teaching about mental health in schools and public education. A partial goal is also to open a public discussion about mental health as a normal part of human life.

Kooperativa wants people with disabilities to be able to live a free life and not be forced by the system to go to institutions. In cooperation with NGO Asistence they support pilot program 5th GRADE (pátý stupeň). Kooperativa is convinced that all people with disabilities should be able to use the support of other people to the extent that they can live freely. The current system does not allow this, so Kooperativa paid for five people personal assistance as many hours of assistance as they need and the company continuously monitors how their lives have changed. We will obtain data to promote systemic change - the introduction of the fifth individualized level of care allowance.

he Czech Paraplegics Association is also supported by Kooperativa: Under the project title "BanalFatal! the association uses lectures in schools to the severity of spinal column and spinal cord injuries caused by supposedly banal situations – such as jumping headfirst into water, slipping or falling down.

In addition, Kooperativa serves customers with hearing impairments through a special service which transcribes telephone calls and thus improves communication between customers and employees.

Social engagement is a leading priority at BCR Asigurări de Viaţă. The Romanian Group company regularly assists the Red Cross with its blood donation campaigns and has worked particularly closely with the organisation during the coronavirus pandemic. One example of BCR’s support was an initiative to set up a mobile Covid-19 vaccination centre for the people of Călărași district in the south of the country. The aim was to provide easy, unbureaucratic access to vaccinations. 1,700 people were vaccinated in the first three weeks alone. The centre visited 15 different communities and Red Cross volunteers were able to speak to over 5,000 people. BCR also provided support for the wide-ranging information campaign that accompanied the service.

Since 2016, the company has been cooperating with Ateliere Fără Frontiere, an organisation set up to help people from marginalised groups to access the labour market. In one of its projects, titled Edu Click, participants from the groups refurbish old computers as part of an employment and social reintegration programme. The refurbished PCs are made available to children from disadvantaged backgrounds so they could take part in online lessons. BCR Asigurări de Viaţă donated 100 old computers, which Edu Click distributed to eight different schools, putting smiles on the faces of some 1,200 pupils. The Bio & Co farm in Ciocănari in the county of Dâmbovița is another initiative which helps socially disadvantaged members of the community to find their feet – such as those affected by long-term unemployment or addiction problems. 24 BCR employees helped to put up a new fence at the farm, which sells home-grown organic vegetables, as part of the Social Active Day programme.

The company also supports good causes in the capital Bucharest, including covering the costs of vehicle insurance for a free transport service for disabled people. Unfortunately the service has now ceased operations.

BCR Asigurări de Viaţă showed off its green credentials by helping with the upkeep of hiking routes in the Brașov region, providing financial support as well as Social Active Day volunteers. The company is also a partner in an “adopt a tree” initiative which aims to expand woodlands in southern Romania. BCR’s involvement includes volunteering within the scope of the Social Active Day programme. The main focus of the project is planting belts of woodland that provide protection against extreme weather and improve agricultural output. 

In its charitable work, Hungarian Group company UNION Biztosító places a special emphasis on forging long-term partnerships as well as supporting children and young people. It has been working with charities Nem Adom Fel Alapítvány (Never Give up Foundation) and KézenFogva Alapítvány (Hand in Hand Association) since 2016. Nem Adom Fel Alapítvány helps young people with disabilities to access the job market. Its work also includes providing childcare, meals and activity programmes for children who are suffering from poverty. A particular focus of UNION Biztosító’s partnership with the foundation is the Never Give up Café and Bar, where 90% of the staff have disabilities. The company also provides backing for the foundation’s centres and camps for young people with disabilities. KézenFogva Alapítvány runs trainee programmes and workshops designed to assist 15-24 year-olds who have special needs during the difficult transition between school and working life.

Kilometre after Kilometre: staff at InterRisk in Poland get moving to help people in need.

Polish Group company InterRisk is a long-standing supporter of social causes across the country. The company involves its employees in its CSR activities to the greatest possible extent, and the annual Charity Run held since 2014 is a good example. InterRisk employees raise money for every kilometre they cover in support of the social running event, with the proceeds donated to charities. Both participant numbers and the amount raised have increased steadily over the years. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, and with an eye on the wellbeing of all participants, the company decided not to stage the run in the usual format in 2020. Instead, employees took to the streets in 21 different towns and cities across Poland, either alone or in small groups, recording the distance they covered on an app. In total, they clocked up an impressive 2,228km, generating donations amounting to EUR 10,000. The money was split between eight organisations selected by InterRisk employees. The recipients included charities that support disadvantaged and sick children as well as victims of violence and sexual abuse, and an animal welfare organisation. 

In addition, during the pandemic InterRisk has donated money and equipment such as sanitiser and masks to hospitals and care facilities.

The company plans to use the EUR 50,000 prize money for the 2021 Gold Günter Geyer Award for Social Conscience to help finance two custom vehicles specially designed to transport donated blood.

Making the roads safer for children.

The 2021 Silver Günter Geyer Award for Social Conscience went to BTA Baltic in Latvia for its tireless work supporting young people and promoting road safety for children. In 2020 the company joined forces with the ‘We build Parks’ association to initiate the BTA Velomaster project (BTA Velozinis in Latvian), which designs unique cycling proficiency tracks for children and young people. With an emphasis on fun and enjoyment, the aim is to raise awareness of bike safety with a range of features that replicate an urban environment. In 2021, these innovative facilities were built in eight Latvian towns and cities. The respective local authorities provided the space for the tracks, while BTA Baltic funded the training elements on the Velomaster routes – aimed at youngsters of all ages, the BTA Velomaster tracks across Latvia feature more than 100 obstacles and other structures, covering a total area of around 1,000m². The tracks include some of the most common road signs and markings, as well as obstacles that cyclists typically face in urban settings, such as potholes and different road surfaces.

In addition, for many years BTA Baltic has collaborated with Latvian World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) partner Pausales Dabas as well as the country’s nature conservation agency, a sign of its ongoing commitment to long-term environmental protection. The www.darudabai.lv website, which was launched with the support of BTA Baltic and other organisations, highlights the nature reserves that are particularly at risk and where help is needed to protect them. BTA employees are also keen supporters of the “Do for Nature” initiative as part of Social Active Day, and they rolled up their sleeves again in October 2020 – 80 employees cleaned up several kilometres of the Krimulda nature park and planted oak seedlings.

Swift, bureaucracy-free support for the most vulnerable members of society.

The winner of the 2021 Bronze Günter Geyer Award for Social Conscience was Wiener Osiguranje in Croatia, which was singled out for its rapid and highly efficient support for victims of the earthquake that struck the country in late 2020. The catastrophe caused huge damage – almost 90% of the buildings in the town of Petrinja were razed to the ground. The hospital in the port town of Sisak, where the Kupa and Sava rivers meet, was particularly badly affected. The members of Wiener Osiguranje’s Managing Board visited the hospital to see the damage for themselves, and also held talks with administrators to identify options for providing meaningful support. Wiener Osiguranje donated EUR 66,365 to the earthquake victims, with the majority of the money used to get the hospital in Sisak up and running again. But it is not just natural disasters like this that hit the weakest members of society particularly hard; the coronavirus pandemic has also had a huge impact. This is why the company chose to support a project entitled “Equal opportunities for all”: the initiative provides internet access for children from low-income families, as well as electronic equipment for home schooling – a total of 50 laptops were supplied – and weekly lessons focused on this topic for children.

Wiener Osiguranje also supports the organisation ‘Mali zmaj’, which is dedicated to improving quality of life for deprived children and those at risk of poverty; in one such example, the company has made office space available in central Zagreb for the charity to use free of charge. On Social Active Day, Wiener Osiguranje employees renovated and decorated the space to make it suitable for children. Besides arranging outings with sports and leisure activities for the children, ‘Mali zmaj’ also organises professional learning support and psychotherapy for youngsters who need it.