Fashion Bug initiates nationwide career guidance for schools
Saturday, 22 March 2014 00:00
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Over 120 schools and 100,000 students to benefit
Fashion Bug, one of Sri Lanka’s leading retail clothing stores with over 17 outlets island wide, launched yet another CSR program, under its Educational CSR platform ‘Sisu Dirimaga’; this time for school leavers who need guidance regarding their future career paths .
The company which in the recent past has been involved in many such CSR initiatives has organised a series of island wide career guidance workshops together with the Provincial Education Offices for students who are doing the Advanced Level examination. “We will be conducting these programs in over 120 Schools Island wide and over 100,000 students will benefit as a result,”said Fashion Bug Director and Founder of the Sisu Dirimaga program, Shabier Subian.
To date Fashion Bug has conducted these programs in a total of 13 schools, with over 2250 students having participated in them. The resource person for these workshops is University of Colombo Senior Career Counsellor Ajith Jayawardana, while others associated with the program belong to the respective educational ministries of each province.
The topics addressed at these workshops include how to get through A-level exams effectively and in a stress-free manner, coping with educational as well as family issues and managing time effectively, and how to asses yourself as a student and how to pre plan your future taking into account your strengths and desires. New industries to enter and how to plan subjects accordingly to meet the country’s demand and supply for jobs, what sort of jobs are popular and what areas are risky, strategic planning on what you need to do in order to select A/L subjects to match the chosen career path are also amongst the topics under discussion. Additionally, included in the program are a few motivational programs, as well as ‘tricks and strategies’ on how best to prepare yourself for exams. Real life examples of successful leaders and professionals are also given, thus serving to further motivate the students to achieve their goals.
“It is our aim to establish a sustainable CSR platform as opposed to miscellaneous one-off projects that lack clear, long term objectives. The Sisu Dirimaga program will ensure that all projects stem from one clear platform, establishing a clear CSR identity for Fashion Bug as a responsible Corporate Citizen, as well as give our customers the satisfaction of being part of a noble national cause,” said Subian.
A number of projects have got under way as part of Fashion Bug’s Sisu Dirimaga scheme; namely the drinking water project that was completed and presented to the Ovitigamuwa Maha Vidyalaya, the donation of the computer unit at the Thumbe Kanishta Vidyalaya, and most recently the sponsorship of the Dhammikka Kithulgoda scholarship foundation in the presence of the Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne.
In addition, Fashion Bug is also involved in several other CSR projects which include the Kalubowila Hospital, Maharagama Cancer Hospital, and an environmental project in Kurunegala, namely ‘Thuru Sahasak’.
“Each Fashion Bug outlet works closely with its community. We have close links with the community centres and religious communities of all religions and we actively participate in and contribute to all their events. As part of the profits generated from a branch in a particular area are channelled towards the CSR project of that area, our customers who patronise that particular outlet are proud custodians of that particular project and feel that they too are working side by side with us,” said Fashion Bug AGM Operations Faraaz Hameed.
“We wish to get the foundation accredited by the Ministry of Education to centralise the auditing process of our recipients and to establish a better feedback and feed-forward method between us and the beneficiaries, thus making Sisu Dirimaga a stronger and more effective force in making a real and sustainable change in rural education,” said Senior HRD Manager Namal Ekanayake.
“Developing underprivileged schools in rural areas through mobilising of projects, upholding and financially enabling underprivileged students who excel academically, enabling the dreams of those with the desire to learn and making a reality of Education for all no matter your circumstances, is our goal,” said Subian.
