- The programme has already helped 2,275 people in six years and has led to the signing of 2,378 contracts for people suffering from social exclusion, with the participation of 181 Endesa employees working as volunteers, 284 social entities and 241 companies hiring these people.
- The programme for the year 2022, which was already kicked off in an event held to find new volunteers and beneficiaries, including the first training courses, aims to have a very positive impact on the lives of at least 430 people.
Endesa Foundation's latest "Changing Lives" programme kicks off, in collaboration with Integra Foundation, to help and prepare people at risk of social exclusion for their insertion into the labour market.
The opening ceremony of the sixth edition of the project was held with a series of presentations and talks for Endesa's professionals interested in participating as volunteers. A national virtual meeting was held, in which the volunteers of previous years talked about their experiences to encourage others to participate in the initiative and with the words of one of the beneficiaries, for whom this project has changed his life.
These volunteers will help these people and provide them with pre-employment training to help them face the recruitment processes and be better prepared to secure a job.
At the end of 2021 "Changing Lives" met and exceeded the initial goal of benefiting 440 people, and finally helped 1,101 people from the Autonomous Communities of Madrid, Catalonia, Aragon, Andalusia and the Balearic Islands (556 this year and 545 during previous years), managing to find a job for 41.42% of the programme's participants (456 people). This was possible thanks to the support of 70 Endesa volunteers who participated in the training programmes.
The programme was launched in 2016 and has been growing annually in different autonomous communities. It is currently active in Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, Zaragoza and Palma de Mallorca. The aim of this year's programme is to continue training and achieving the workplace integration of at least 430 people suffering from social exclusion, as well as to continue helping participants who participated in past programmes.
The project will be rolled out during the coming months in 14 training schools. It has already been rolled out in Barcelona and Seville, and will be rolled out during March in Madrid, Zaragoza and Mallorca.
José Miguel Carrillo, who was born in Cádiz and currently lives in Madrid, one of the people who participated in the 2021 programme, spent more than 13 years using drugs. At some point he wanted to end his life: "I was aimless, alone, living on the street, I had no one". "My workplace integration started when I recovered from this terrible situation, but this is when I realised that I did not know what to do, I was not aware of my actual skills... and this is when I got the opportunity to participate in Changing Lives. Endesa's volunteers helped me so much that their help was key to me finding a job; they taught me how to write my CV, gave me tips for job interviews, helped me manage my emotions, etc., mentioned José Miguel. "I was happy when they told me that I had been hired; this is when I started to feel that I could be useful, to take responsibility for something, and that is strengthening me as a person, I am increasing my self-esteem. I would say that I came into life".
340 people have participated in the programme in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, which was launched in 2019. 59 Endesa volunteers participated in the programme to provide training. This year's goal is to improve employability and help 100 new people in their workplace integration, as well as to continue providing support to any of the 240 people participating in last year's programme who request help.
During all of these years, the Endesa Foundation, in collaboration with Integra Foundation, its expert partner on the workplace integration of people at a serious risk of social exclusion, have managed to join forces with 284 social entities, including NGOs, public and private social institutions and the Social Services of different towns and cities, in addition to the 241 companies who have hired the people participating in the programme.
With "Changing Lives", both entities have achieved excellent results that make their contribution to the ESG parameters, according to the criteria of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), making a real impact on society, the company and the people participating in the programme.
About the Endesa Foundation
The main aim of the Endesa Foundation, chaired by Juan Sánchez-Calero, is to contribute to social development through projects based on education, training for employment, the environment and culture.
The Foundation's educational projects are primarily aimed at fostering innovation in education across all levels and promoting academic excellence in the university field through grants, scholarships and professorships.
The employment training projects focus on promoting the talent of people at risk of social exclusion, young entrepreneurs with a lack of resources and professionals over 50 years of age.
Its environmental projects main focus on boosting education and creating a culture of protecting the environment and achieving energy efficiency.
With regards to its cultural projects, these include those dedicated to the lighting of artistic monuments, the preservation and dissemination of the historical industrial heritage of the Spanish electricity sector and collaboration with top-level Spanish cultural entities.
The Endesa Foundation also develops and funds programmes and actions aimed at providing humanitarian, health, social, financial and material aid in extraordinary situations of health crises, natural disasters or other similar situations.
More information on the Endesa Foundation website.
About Integra Foundation
Integra Foundation is a non-profit organisation aimed at achieving the workplace integration of people at a serious risk of social exclusion.
These include women victims of gender violence, people with disabilities, young people on probation, homeless people, prisoners and ex-prisoners, long-term unemployed, or ethnic minorities, among others.
Integra Foundation serves as the link between institutions, NGOs and companies willing to offer an opportunity to these people.
The entity was established in 2001 and since then has helped 16,000 people find a job and rebuild their lives thanks to a job.
More information on the Integra Foundation website.