Canon Oceania has formed a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnership with Australia’s leading national children’s education charity, The Smith Family, to help provide educational support to children living in disadvantage across the country.
Canon’s partnership with The Smith Family furthers its vision to provide young Australians with equal access to educational opportunities. As part of this, Canon will invest $50,000 per year over a three-year partnership, to support the education of 75 students between kindergarten and Year 10 through the charity’s Learning for Life sponsorship program. This program provides students and their families with access to financial, personal and practical support for their education.
In addition, Canon employees will have the opportunity to provide extra support and volunteer across a range of Smith Family activities, including participating in The Smith Family’s iTrack mentoring program. Canon employees will provide one-on-one online mentoring with students in Years 9 and 11 over 18 weeks, sharing advice about the workplace, study options and career pathways.
Canon Oceania managing director, Kotaro Fukushima said, “We are honoured to partner with The Smith Family to support the great work they do across the country, making lasting impacts on the lives of disadvantaged children and families. Underpinned by our Kyosei philosophy of living and working together for the common good, we are huge supporters of giving all young Australians equal access to education. So, on many levels, The Smith Family and Canon Oceania share a similar vision.
“We started our business in Australia in 1973 and over the past 50 years, we have worked with wonderful people, including our customers, employees and partners. Thanks to them we have been able to thrive.
“We hope to continue to grow over the next 50 years and, as a sign of our gratitude to the community, we would like to help provide more opportunities to young people who will be a key part of the future. Through this partnership with The Smith Family, we have an opportunity to make a lasting impact to the lives of young Australians in need.”
The Smith Family CEO, Doug Taylor said the new partnership will help the organisation to offer its evidence-based programs to even more students, giving them the opportunity to shape their own future.
“We are delighted to partner with Canon so that together we can make a measurable and tangible long-term difference. This partnership will further support our initiatives to make a lasting difference in the education of young Australians, and it will also provide us with greater opportunities to create awareness of the impact of poverty on educational outcomes across the nation.”