Goals and progress
Community investment | Program in action
Investing globally
Location: London
Summary: They’re young people on the margin. But many are eager to get their lives back on track and learn the skills they need to get a job and plot a career path. That’s where our volunteers come in.
Every story at Centrepoint is unique, revealing a life marked by struggle and loss at an early age — death, betrayal by an adult, depression and drugs. While each personal story is unique, they all have at least one thing in common: They’ve lacked the opportunities to realize their dreams. In partnership with Centrepoint, we hope to shift the narrative.
Centrepoint is a 40-year-old organization that operates throughout London. It provides about 800 young adults a place to stay each night. But it’s not just a place to sleep; it's a place to receive other services as well. One program, supported by Gap Inc., is called LifeWise. It's a series of workshops focused on both the routine and the inspiring: how to manage a home, live within a budget, learn job skills and map out a future.
“It’s really motivational for them,” says John Raynham, Centrepoint’s head of fundraising. “It shows them they can achieve things. It gives them enthusiasm for learning again.”
Capitalizing on the expertise of Gap Inc. employees
For years, we have supported Centrepoint through grants. Recently, we’ve expanded our support by encouraging our employees to teach these young people such critical skills as writing a resume and succeeding at an interview.
In 2009, our employees stepped up their involvement. The entire Human Resources team from our London headquarters spent a day at Centrepoint teaching workshops on a wide range of career-building skills. Participants filled out a Gap job application ahead of time, and our employees followed up with feedback and tips.
“Money is essential, but the volunteering adds a different dimension to what we do,” Raynham says. “Having HR professionals come in gives a real authenticity to the experience that the young people are having. And meeting these professionals from Gap shows them that there are other things in life out there.”
