Sustainability Report 2012 - Generali Versicherung AG

In addition to these activities, employees within theGroup have implemented a number of charitableinitiatives, collecting money and/or materials and doingvoluntary work to help the less fortunate. Some of thesewere individual projects, while others were promoted bythe companies. The latter also include payroll givinginitiatives whereby regular or one-off donations aremade to charitable organisations by making deductionsfrom employee salaries. In some countries the Groupcompanies offer employees the chance to take part insuch schemes.THE 2012 INITIATIVESThe Group supports many different types of initiatives,ranging from occasional measures in support of specificprojects to more structured initiatives requiring a longstandingcommitment from the Group companies.Social areaThe Group has alwaysprioritised its support forassociations that provideassistance to those affectedby poverty, disease,war, violence and socialdiscomfort and, as mentioned, it has strengthened thiscommitment in these recent years of severe economicand social hardship. In particular, the Group prioritisesinitiatives aimed at constructing the basis for a lastingimprovement in living conditions for the disadvantaged,and backs rescue and integration projects designedto offer people in difficulty, for whatever reason, equalopportunities for development and integration intosociety and the job market.In the healthcare sector, the initiatives backed by theGroup this year once again mainly sought to preventand cure illnesses, particularly those that represent thebiggest causes of death or which have a major impacton people's quality of life and independence such astumours, cardiovascular illnesses, Alzheimer’s andmultiple sclerosis.Also in 2012, the Group companies in various countriesworked with the authorities, schools, state and localpolice and various associations to organise programmesaimed at preventing road accidents caused by the failureto respect the highway code. Most of these were aimedat providing children and young people with basicknowledge so they grow up to become careful driversin the future.In Germany, the carefully structured promotion ofvoluntary work among citizens and businesses, carriedout together with the institutions and associations aspart of Generali Zukunftsfonds, also continued in 2012.Finally, in numerous countries the companies continuedto maintain valuable relationships with universities andpostgraduate education institutions, resulting in multipleexchanges: placements, classroom talks by Groupemployees, the funding of study grants, etc. In this way,the companies both show their interest in and directlycontribute to training a highly specialised workforce whothey may later consider when looking to hire new staff.In Hungary the Generali Smile Hunter project waslaunched a couple of years ago. This initiative seeksto provide assistance to children from traumaticbackgrounds who have been cared for by children’shomes since being separated from their originalfamilies. The aim of the project is to give childrenthe chance to enjoy unique experiences and to helpthem develop skills and talents that will enable themto integrate in society. Before the programme waslaunched, together with the help of experts it wasestablished that sharing common experiences withother children would be the best way of helpingthe younger children to enjoy a normal childhood.The project was then launched with children andtheir minders asked to express the wishes theywould like to come true. Generali then sought torealise their dreams organising, for example, anunforgettable summer holiday on the shores ofthe Balaton, as well as trips to the zoo, adventureparks, museums, radio stations and the airport.One of the most distinctive features of the SmileHunter programme was the use of Facebookin all phases: firstly to raise awareness of theinitiative among colleagues, insurance brokers andcustomers and to encourage them to take partand make a contribution exclusively in kind, notin cash. The response, again on Facebook, wasimmediate and enthusiastic and the propositionsmade in terms of sports, crafts and animal-basedactivities, together with the donations of equipment,holidays and toys, made it possible to realise eventhe smallest dreams of the children. As well astaking care of the logistics, Generali documentedall of the activities, publishing them on Facebookto share them with donors and followers, togetherwith the drawings and letters with which thechildren involved in the programme described theirexperiences.An additional programme was subsequentlylaunched with the aim of improving theexpressiveness and the self-confidence of childrenthrough participation in group sports and artisticactivities to develop their skills and talents.Thanks to Generali, at the end of 2012 theseprogrammes, which include art therapy, sports,music, dance, theatre and initiatives that helpchildren to get to know and respect nature, wereintroduced at 6 different Hungarian institutes.The progress of the project can be followed onFacebook where there is also an application thatcontinuously monitors the progress of 15 talentedchildren so they can act as role models for theirpeers and as a stimulus for the entire community.COMMUNITY | 115