Recently, Wild Asia partnered with Hilton Kuala Lumpur and Lifeworks to provide hospitality training to a group of youths from shelter homes.The program was exemplary of a committed corporate responsibility. SHARYN SHUFIYAN provides an insight.

Written by Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan on 12 Nov 2010 with 0 comments. Be the first!

Corporate social responsibility or CSR, has in recent years been integrated into the philosophy of companies as a guideline to operate in a more accountable manner. The Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) had recently urged the corporate sector to incorporate CSR as a core business value instead of limiting to monetary contributions as reported in the Edge Malaysia.

There are various approaches to CSR, some critics argue that it distracts from the core economic function of businesses, while most feel it is sufficient to engage in one-off activities such as donation drives, tree-planting or social welfare visits. In short, CSR is a means of giving back.

While CSR is a relatively new concept in Malaysia, some companies are already cranking their gears to accept CSR as a long-term commitment and one such company is Hilton Kuala Lumpur. A quick visit to Hilton Worldwide website and you will find Hilton's stand on sustainability.

"Hilton Worldwide brands touch hundreds of communities and millions of people every day. That's why operating in a responsible and sustainable manner is both a priority for our company and a central part of how we do business," states the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hilton Worldwide, Christopher Nassetta, capturing their commitment to sustainability in a nutshell.

Hilton walks the talk. Recently, I had the opportunity to be involved in a social project with Hilton Kuala Lumpur as an invigilator. The project, "Hospitality Inspiration" was a partnership between Hilton, Wild Asia and Lifeworks to empower and encourage young people from welfare homes to create a career in hospitality and giving them an opportunity of having a promising future.

Seven bright young people between the ages 17-30 came to Hilton Kuala Lumpur for a two-day workshop where they got involved in activities designed to highlight their best qualities. The invigilators are able to assess qualities such as teamwork, integrity, confidence and determination by observing their interaction with each other and with the invigilators themselves.

One of of the activities among many was the 'Vision Collage'. Participants were asked to make a collage out of newspaper and magazine cut-outs. The collage is meant to be an expression of their dreams, hopes and aspirations. Through the activity, participants gained greater insight into their life goals and the decisions they need to make in order to reach their goals.

One of the youths, Prehm Sehgaran wrote on his vision collage among pictures of Chef Wan and Wayne Rooney, "If we want to achieve like them, we have to goal like Rooney, we will achieve it!" The youths later then presented their collages to us, explaining why they chose certain images and what they aspire to be. From owning expensive rides to becoming known chefs, these youths are already paving their way towards their dreams by materializing images in their minds into tangible visuals - something that they can now 'see'.

The youths also found the 'Helium Stick' activity to be a lot of fun. The activity requires the participants of the game to bring down a long roll of paper to the floor together. It requires a lot of focus and team effort. After much giggling and exasperated sighs, the group finally manage to get the roll of paper on the floor! The lesson learned - keep your eyes on the goal. It was a treat for us to observe the activities, as you spot one or two talents in leadership, and forging of friendships.

Another fun activity was sweet tasting. My colleague, Deborah, melted candies and added paprika, pepper, balsamic vinegar, salt and soya sauce to create really horrid candies. The youths had to taste the sweet and answer the invigilators why they think it is the best tasting candy ever. Of course we had to keep a straight face while invigilating, but I couldn't help but smirk at their reactions! The activity was conducted in a way to test their integrity and honesty, and we were secretly proud that most of them were very honest!

The youths also had the opportunity to meet with managers from different departments who shared their working experiences to give them a better idea of what it's like working in the hospitality industry. William Costley, Regional General Manager of Hilton (Malaysia and Vietnam) took the time to meet and speak to the youths. He shared his own experiences and insights to his own struggles that were very honest and inspirational. "Choices in your life are very important. You can do well in your life, or do bad. But ultimately you have to take responsibility. It doesn't matter what happened to you in the past, it's what is going to happen to you in the future and how you can make the best for your life and whatever you do," he advised.

Susan Abdullah, Human Resources Manager also shared an emotional story of how she literally climbed the corporate ranks starting from the bottom. Now a successful manager in a top five-star hotel, she is living proof that nothing is impossible if you have focus and is driven in life.

Early in the planning process of the project, we had scoured all over Klang Valley contacting and visiting welfare homes and organizations to find suitable youths and invite them to participate. One such visit was to KL Krashpad, a youth activity centre set up by the Department of Welfare and Yayasan Salam to get children off the streets of Kuala Lumpur where they may be exposed to harmful activities. In our attempt to source potential participants for the workshop, I had unintentionally thrown myself into a journey of self reflection. It had been a real eye opener for me to meet these youths and realized how much I've taken things for granted.

The young people I've met during the workshop had been an inspiration and the short period of time I had spent with them had been lessons of my own. Society has turned a blind eye to these young people, but if given the chance, they can go a long way and be successful in life. As Simon Lim, Senior HR Executive expressed, "Everyone deserves a chance. I believe everyone has a vision, but it's about opportunities. We are here to give them a chance to improve or to prove to themselves that they can develop. There are a lot of hidden talents - if you don't give the chance you wouldn't know what they're capable of."

I am glad that Wild Asia can be part of shaping lives and creating futures, thanks to Hilton Kuala Lumpur for their generous vision of granting opportunities to the local community.