At Cisco, giving again is greater than a core worth; it’s a strategy to lead by constructing connections, deepening empathy, and contributing to one thing larger than your self. Throughout the Americas (North, Central, and South America), and in collaboration with regional worker engagement champions, annually we host our Americas Associate Group (APO) Giving Again Week.
Launched in June 2023, this program brings collectively Cisco Associate Group groups across the Americas to collectively give again and make a distinction. We lengthen and amplify our constructive affect by together with our channel companions within the efforts. One stellar instance of those efforts comes from our staff in Mexico. Learn on to be taught extra.
The Mexico Associate Group Units a Customary
Inside Cisco’s LATAM area, the Mexico Associate Group is a shining instance with regards to neighborhood affect efforts. In mid-2024, the staff, led by venture supervisor Jennifer Ortiz, collaborated with our enterprise companions Connext and Evox to create actual affect for La Cana, a social enterprise that helps incarcerated ladies and people transitioning again into society.
Why La Cana? Jennifer explains, “We needed to accomplice with a company the place our help could be significant. In Mexico, my house nation, the subject of ladies in jail is considerably taboo, and organizations that assist incarcerated ladies are likely to get ignored. With doubtlessly much less visibility than different kinds of organizations, we felt that La Cana might tremendously profit from our volunteerism and assist.”
In flip, 30 volunteers—18 from our companions and 12 from the LATAM Mexico Associate Group—got down to ship significant change amongst La Cana’s purchasers by means of three impactful initiatives.
Supporting Ladies in Chalco Jail
On Could 10, 2024 (Mom’s Day in Mexico), our volunteers visited 75 ladies at Chalco ladies’s jail, bringing hygiene kits and—equally (if no more) vital—moments of connection and dignity. The staff selected this location as a result of it was farther from the town, and on common, its inmates obtain fewer guests. “I had by no means been to a penitentiary, so I used to be very apprehensive,” shared Jennifer. “I didn’t know what to anticipate however interacting with the ladies was a fantastic lesson in empathy and perspective. We didn’t see them for his or her alleged crimes, however as fellow people. It was a strong studying second for me.”
Jennifer additionally shared how fantastic it was to convey happiness to the ladies. “Though we weren’t household, these ladies had been extraordinarily grateful to have us as guests. You possibly can see the enjoyment and hope it introduced them, as smiles on their faces.”
Constructing energy and self-sufficiency within the “Casa Medio Camino” Upon launch from jail, some ladies don’t have household to return to or a spot to remain, as they’re usually disowned or ostracized for his or her crimes. To assist mitigate this state of affairs, La Cana has established “Casa Medio Camino”, a midway home for girls leaving jail, to supply shelter and assist. As a part of APO Giving Again Week 2024, our volunteers rolled up their sleeves to assist create a snug place for the residents. Collectively, they:
- Established a neighborhood backyard and donated seeds to assist long-term meals cultivation.
- Renovated a number of areas throughout the constructing to create welcoming, useful areas.
- Donated non-perishable provides to help in quickly housing 20 ladies as they transition again into society.
Enabling Financial Independence
One other facet of La Cana’s intervention program is to convey productive actions and vocational coaching to prisons. This allows inmates to amass abilities and instruments to assist them enhance their lives throughout their keep in jail, present an earnings for his or her households, and put together them for all times exterior of jail. One kind of abilities coaching consists of varied weaving, embroidery, stitching, macramé (an ornamental craft utilizing twine and knotting strategies), and textile weaving strategies. As a part of our give again, we hosted a sale in our places of work of hand-made objects created by the ladies who’re a part of La Cana. Mixed with our volunteer actions, the cash raised from the sale enabled us to contribute greater than $4,500 USD to fund La Cana’s applications.
Our assist of La Cana’s essential initiatives is a testomony to the ability of collaboration. By bringing collectively our workers, companions, and this social enterprise, we’ve confirmed that collective motion can ship tangible, lasting change. And the advantages of our work lengthen far past their instant affect:
- For the neighborhood: Ladies in susceptible conditions acquired assets, assist, and alternatives to regain their dignity and independence.
- For our companions: Connext and Evox strengthened their social affect methods, reinforcing their dedication to company accountability.
- For our workers: Volunteers skilled a profound sense of function and achievement, understanding their efforts instantly modified lives.
- For our firm: These efforts deepened our tradition of empathy, strengthened bonds with our companions, and demonstrated our management in driving significant social change.
What’s much more highly effective is the message we ship by prioritizing and taking part in initiatives like APO Giving Again Week: Giving is a type of management. Let’s proceed to guide with function and create a brighter future, one neighborhood at a time.
Has your group participated in APO Giving Again Week? In that case, do inform us in regards to the affect you’ve made along with your companions and in your neighborhood.
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