McCann Manchester employee Ash Mowbray will be jetting off to Costa Rica on Saturday 10 November to take part in the Out of Office for Good initiative, a collaboration between McCann Worldgroup and Raleigh International.
Ash and nine other employees from McCann Worldgroup agencies in the UK have been selected to share their skills and knowledge of successful campaign execution to empower the next generation of young leaders. The team, which will be based in Turrialba, Costa Rica, have created and developed a training programme with the help of experienced trainers from Raleigh.
Raleigh International is a youth-focused organisation that guarantees that young people are at the heart of global sustainable change.
Over two weeks the team will be working with members of the Raleigh Nicaragua and Costa Rica Youth Societies, teaching them to create, design and implement awareness-raising campaigns based on two environmental issues facing their home countries.
The opportunity was devised at McCann London before eight agencies from McCann Worldgroup agencies in the UK (Craft, McCann Manchester, McCann Central, McCann Enterprise, McCann Health, MRM//McCann, Weber Shandwick and Momentum) signed up. Agency employees were then encouraged to apply, which resulted in a pitch process before a merit-based selection of people from all agencies.
Ash Mowbray, Production Manager at McCann Manchester, said, “I’m thrilled to be taking part in Out of Office for Good, and I am honoured, humbled and extremely excited by such an amazing opportunity.
“In Nicaragua and Costa Rica, young people face a multitude of factors that hold them back socially and economically, and these prevent them from fulfilling their potential.
“Raleigh International is an incredible charity that has the betterment of the world and its people at the top of its priority list. Those who know me will know how important this mentality is to me.
“Hopefully through our work we'll be able to inspire the next generation of leaders to make a real difference.”
Though McCann Manchester will be supporting Ash with her travel costs, Raleigh needed support to run its programme on the ground. Through her fundraising efforts, Ash has raised an incredible £1,189, far surpassing her original goal of £500. This money will fund Raleigh ‘Expeditions’ – extended programs with Youth Society volunteers around the world, where they are taught to make a difference.
Mark Lund, McCann Worldgroup UK CEO, said, “We are delighted to be doing this and see it as a wonderful way both to continue to build the McCann Worldgroup culture and to engage with a really significant programme in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.”
James Sutton, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Raleigh International, said: “We see real value in Skills-Based Volunteering, and this particular programme with McCann Worldgroup UK demonstrates real innovation and collaboration all designed to create an impact which is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not just about the training of 10 National Youth Society members – this is about the impact of the campaigns in future which these inspirational young people will create to engage youth about issues of sustainability and sustainable development in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica.”