Think Big for new youth programme

UK launch paves way for European roll-out

Telefónica Europe is taking a united approach to society with the launch of Think Big – the first community programme to be rolled out across all operating businesses.

Telefónica O2 UK is the first to launch the groundbreaking concept, which focuses specifically on working with young people.

It aims to go beyond simple funding by inspiring applicants to make a real difference to the communities they live in.

Communications and Reputation director Glenn Manoff said: “Telefónica has an amazing reputation for its work with young people through the Proniño programme and the Telefónica Foundation.

“Think Big aims to build on that expertise, providing consistency across the Group while giving each operating business the flexibility to tailor a response to suit their unique societies.

“Our customers believed that there was a clear opportunity for us to really support young people and shine a positive light on their achievements. This was particularly meaningful during hard economic times when many young people are facing real challenges due to youth unemployment.”

Impressive response

Telefónica O2 UK launched the programme in March and similar schemes will follow shortly in Germany, Ireland and the Czech Republic.

And the initial response has been impressive, with more than 200 applications already received.

Community manager Helen said: “The great thing about Think Big is that we’re not putting any limits on the kinds of things we’ll fund – it really is up to young people to tell us what they want to do to make a difference in their community and we’ll help them achieve it.

“The only remit is that their project must aim to help others.”

Details of the huge range of project that Think Big can help with are detailed on a dedicated website at www.o2.co.uk/thinkbig

Phased approach

Successful applicants will enter phase one of the programme where they receive £300 in funding along with support and guidance from major organisations such as the National Youth Agency and UK Youth.

The young people also get online support from O2 helpers, who will be specially trained volunteers from across the business.

Depending on their success in phase one, applicants could then be considered for phase two and a grant of up to £2,500 plus free access to services such as O2 broadband. Here they will be partnered up with an O2 helper to give them face to face coaching.

Helen said: “One thing we’ll make clear to applicants is that this isn’t just about the money, we’ll be offering all the support they need, but also setting milestones and monitoring progress to ensure their projects make the impact they intended to.”

This collaborative approach aims to ensure the company really develops a relationship with the young people it aims to help and gets to the heart of the matter.

This has been true from the early development of the programme in the UK, when the company worked with a network of youth charities and organisations to gain a comprehensive picture of what was needed and ensure it had unprecedented access to young people across the country.

“We’re working closely with the National Youth Agency and UK Youth,” explains Helen, “and have also recruited 25 young people across the country to act as advisors and identify the youth organisations across the UK that met their needs to a good enough level to be awarded the Think Big Quality Mark.

“This year we’ll be awarding 35 youth organisations with the Think Big Quality Mark. And it’s a standard worth having because it comes with the promise of guaranteed places on the programme for each successful organisation’s young people plus prizes and incentives.”

Employees get involved

The programme has also captured the imagination of Telefónica O2 UK employees who can sign up to mentor and support successful applicants as O2 helpers or volunteers for any of the scheme’s 35 partner organisations.

In addition, the company has recruited a national network of Big Thinkers – employees from each site who will do everything from driving the Think Big agenda to arranging work experience slots for young people to organising fundraising and supporting helpers.

Helen said: “As always our people will be the key to us really living this programme.

“Past community programmes, most recently It’s Your Community, have really hit the mark, but we’re confident that Think Big will take it to the next level and build on this success.

“Telefónica has been supporting us all the way and we’ve been drawing on the Telefónica Foundation’s extensive experience of social action programmes both in the development of Think Big and during the early days since launch.”

Look out for details of some early Think Big success stories plus launches in other Telefónica Europe operating businesses in the next issue of news O2.

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