Guardian Group looks to the youth

The United Nations usually partners with governments or non-governmental agencies in its mission to encourage sustainable development around the world. But over the last decade, the organisation has come to recognise – and appreciate – the value that the private sector adds when it comes to spurring innovations, facilitating knowledge-sharing and capacity building to help implement projects faster than the UN or even government. Business Day has been featuring some of the UN in TT's private sector partners about the work they are doing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One such partner is the Guardian Group, which is using its platform as one of the region’s biggest financial services company to encourage engagement in sports, science/technology/engineering/maths (STEM) and entrepreneurship among young people.

Keston Nancoo

Guardian Group vice president for human resources

There are three pillars of sustainable development: people, planet and profit. For any level of sustainable development to be attained, we cannot just address social and environmental issues but, in addition, we must also find ways to make sustainability profitable so that people’s quality of life can improve. Sustainability actions, like preserving the environment as an example will require financial sacrifice in the short term, which should increase finances in the long term.

Accordingly, we are of the firm belief that the segment of society that is best able to lead this aspect of sustainable development is the private sector. In addition, there is a widely shared view that a country will develop sustainably only when its private sector plays a leadership role in its development. The Guardian Group is one of the companies in TT that has stepped forward to help lead the charge, by working with the UN to determine where the gaps are, and how the company can maximise its impact.

Guardian Group has always considered itself a highly responsible organisation and an entity which has demonstrated in tangible ways its commitment to TT’s development. Even before embarking on collaborating to forge this new partnership with the UN, the company has worked to make TT a better place. Here as some examples of CSR actions: for the second year, Guardian Group sponsored the National Secondary Schools Entrepreneurship Competition (NSSEC), a business education simulation platform that educates secondary school pupils on real world business practices and decisions.

The group also sponsored a candidate to attend the We Exchange Conference, held in Paraguay, which offers Latin American and Caribbean women entrepreneurs in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the opportunity to expand their network, access mentors and investors.

In Jamaica, the Guardian Group Foundation partnered with the Jamaica Cancer Society and Reach to Recovery, to host “Pink Day” at all Guardian Life branches island-wide, with an objective to increase awareness about breast cancer to the public and staff. The foundation also partnered with Bossman Campaign on several activities to bring awareness of prostate cancer.

In the sphere of sports and youth development, Guardian Group Barbados, affirmed its sponsorship of the Barbados Football Association’s youth football tournament and the Herman Griffith 2019 Primary Schools’ Cricket competition, both meaningful initiatives that advocate healthy and active lifestyles amongst the youth.

In Curaçao, we continued our long-standing commitment to fight alongside cancer patients by sponsoring the Ride for Roses, which encourages participants to use cycling as a means to engage in sporty, healthy and fun avenues to support the fight against cancer.

Guardian has gone as far as incorporating UN principles, as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals, into not just the company’s philanthropy, but its products and services. With the covid19 pandemic, for example, we offered insurance plans to health workers and first responders, which other insurers may have considered risky prospects. This was the Guardian Group demonstrating that it was committed to SDG #3 – Good Health, and SDG #8 – Decent Working Conditions.

The private sector should not be thought of just in financial terms, or as a potential source of funds to supplement those from the government or development banks. It is true that sustainable development cannot be achieved without such supplemental funds from the private sector, and the business community which has much more to offer than just money. Businesses have experts that public, civil society and development institutions, not only lack, but find difficulty to attract. Most successful businesses are led by visionaries who have their fingers on the local and global pulse, and the knack for making decisions that ultimately lead to growth and success. Many of the country’s best and brightest are employed in the private sector, and it would be unfortunate if these brilliant minds are not given a space to contribute to the country’s development. Guardian Group is a company of such vision and intellectual depth across multiple sectors.

Having articulated all of the above, the Guardian Group’s involvement in the UN’s Generation Unlimited began back in January 2020. We view this initiative as strategic since it provides an outstanding opportunity to partner with the United Nations in a process that will allow us not just to collaborate, but, more importantly, to find better and more appropriate solutions to the current issues and challenges with our youth and finding productive employment.

Studies by the Inter-American Development Bank and others have shown that one of the greatest obstacles to TT’s development is the discrepancy between the skills that the education system is supplying with those that are demanded by employers and for entrepreneurship in the 21st century.

Generation Unlimited is determining the skills the country needs to diversify and thrive going forward, and the changes to the education sector that must occur for these skills to be developed. Guardian Group has a long history of supporting excellence in education in TT through its excellence in teaching awards. Guardian was involved in Generation Unlimited from day one in TT. The group is especially interested in redefining what constitutes educational excellence in the country. When you look at successful countries like Germany and Japan, you see that their education systems value technical and vocational education as much as they do academics. We celebrate academics here and do not give technicians and tradespeople the respect they deserve. As a result, a lot of young people who are not academically inclined think of themselves as doomed to a poor future and are not given the opportunities they deserve to shine. Guardian is leading the charge to change that shortsighted approach.

The partnership between the UN and Guardian is relatively new but it is blossoming. In this regard, we at Guardian do look forward to continuing the collaboration and the partnering as we work together to realise the true benefit and value of education and lifelong learning. This achievement, we are convinced will lead to a brighter future for TT — a future where the country can be an exemplar for the region on private sector leadership in sustainable development.