HML help Derry kids in great Escape

Kids in some of Derry’s most disadvantaged areas are benefiting from a pioneering partnership involving a community project and one of the city’s biggest employers

Since January of this year, a group of 11 employees from financial services company HML have been mentoring kids from the Escape (Education, Sports, Citizenship and Parents) project, an out-of-school scheme which aims to improve children’s reading, writing and IT skills. More than 100 children, aged 10-14, from the Triax area of the Bogside, Brandywell, Creggan, Fountain and Bishop Street, are currently involved with the project.

Anna Wallace, of HML, says the partnership – which allows employees to undertake a volunteer mentoring role during working hours – has been a richly rewarding experience for HML staff.

“Corporate responsibility is about much more than handing over a cheque, it’s about getting directly involved in projects like Escape, about encouraging staff to come forward and be part of their community.
“The feedback has been very positive, staff have been getting a lot out of it and it has become an important part of their work.

“It is something we hope to continue on an ongoing basis. It’s about us, as a company, giving back and getting involved with our local community,” she says.

The initial phase of the HML and Escape link has seen the employees undertake a ten week training programme before taking pupils through a specifically designed ICT based scheme. Escape Project manager John McBride says the initiative has benefited greatly from the HML link.

“We have seen the volunteers develop a real relationship with the children, and the children have been getting a much richer experience.
“Thanks in no small part to the HML volunteers, we are moving steadily towards the ultimate goal where each child will have one-to-one support within the group environment that will allow them to improve their confidence, esteem, and to gain the practical skills they can transfer to other educational activities.

“Having HML has given us so much more than just 11 volunteers, we have found a tremendous difference over the last quarter, we are working through the key stages much quicker without losing any of the quality.”
He says the project has been enriched by “the genuine nature” of HML’s ethos of corporate reasonability.

Both parties are keen to continue the partnership.

“If John needs more volunteers, we will certainly be encouraging staff to come forward,” Anna says.

Meanwhile, the Derry call centre has made it through to the final three in this year’s Northern Ireland wide Business in the Community awards. The awards ceremony was due to take place in Belfast last night.