Candidate for CCIFS Grand Prix 2023 ''CSR'': L'Oréal Balkan
During this year's Green Gala evening, which will take place on April 27th, we will organize the traditional Grand Prix CCIFS awards ceremony
Back in 2018, L'Oréal established cooperation with the "Stefan Dečanski" School for the Hearing Impaired and Hard of Hearing students in Belgrade. With the aim of raising the quality of education of the students of the school for the Female Hairdresser profile, the school hairdressing salon was completely renovated and equipped, and a long-term cooperation with our Matrix brand was established. As a part of this cooperation, in addition to providing all the necessary materials for the work of the salon, professional education programs are also continuously implemented. As a natural continuation of this cooperation, in 2022, as part of L'Oréal's global Citizen Day initiative, a large volunteer action, was organized in the Home for Children and Youth with Hearing Impairment, which houses children from all over Serbia, and which shares the building with the school “Stefan Dečanski". As part of the action in which participated more than 100 L'Oréal employees, the premises of the Home were renovated and around 2,000 square meters of space were painted. In this way, the children, for whom this institution is home from pre-school age until the end of high school, have a more comfortable and safe accommodation and living.
"Stefan Dečanski" is one of the oldest schools of this type in the region, which, in addition to deaf and hard of hearing students, also educates children with other types of disabilities. The main goal of the school is to prepare and empower its students for life and work as independent and creative persons who participate equally in all aspects of social life. The school has a long tradition of practical teaching, and one of the most popular courses is hairdressing education. The main obstacles for further development of this educational program were limited resources and the poor condition of the school hairdressing salon. Thanks to the establishment of joint cooperation with the L'Oréal company, that has changed. The joint project includes several levels of support - we renovated the school hairdressing salon, equipped the space and provided all the necessary equipment, and our brand Matrix provides products and all the necessary materials for its full functionality every year. A long-term education program for school teachers and students has also been launched and it is being conducted through various trainings and seminars (for hair coloring, care, styling) led by our experts - Matrix educators. The best participants also participate in events organized at the L'Oréal Academy. We continue this program and look forward to the new generation of students of this school who will not be marked by their disability, but recognized for their expertise and creativity.
"Citizen Day" is a global initiative of the L'Oréal company in which approximately 30,000 employees in approximately 60 countries around the world participate every year. It is a day on which L'Oréal employees emphasize the importance of generosity and solidarity among people and dedicate their working hours to some socially responsible action. As part of this initiative, employees of L'Oréal in Serbia have been organizing a volunteer day every year since 2010, and instead of working on regular jobs, they spend the working day engaged in a specific project. As part of this action, in 2022, in the Home for Children and Youth with Hearing Impairment in Belgrade, facilities were renovated - rooms where children sleep, corridors, common rooms and the rest of the interior where children learn and play. On this occasion, and for the first time after 18 years, the old walls of the entire home were repaired and painted, including corridors, living room, toilets and more than 30 children's rooms and offices used by employees (about 2,000 square meters).
During the past 13 years, our volunteer actions in Serbia included the reconstruction and decoration of spaces in schools, kindergartens and gerontology centers, installation of access ramps, creation of therapeutic parks and sensory gardens for people with disabilities, renovation of playgrounds and environmental improvement. And this year, L'Oréal employees will once again put on their "work suits" and roll up their sleeves on July 6, when this year's Citizen day is scheduled. Project applications are currently in progress, when employees give their suggestions as to which institutions, institutions and associations they would like to help.
