20 August 2007

View from the inside

Jo Swainson is an Assistant Trader at Aspect Capital, the London-based systematic asset manager. She recently visited RefugeeYouth, one of NPC’s recommended charities. Here she talks about the experience.

‘The visit to RefugeeYouth appealed to me because I’d never come across a refugee charity before. Although I knew very little about refugees, I had read a lot about them, and so was interested to hear about life from their perspective.’

‘During the visit we met Lucy, who works for the charity, and some of the volunteers and young people who are benefiting from its work. I’ve never met a group of people from such a diverse range of backgrounds. It was interesting to chat about our different upbringings and hear how they became involved with RefugeeYouth. We had a very nice curry too!’

‘It was inspiring and really useful to meet them all, especially given my role on Aspect Capital’s charity committee. A lot of charities pass across my desk and although I read all about them, they can be difficult to remember. It’s much more powerful to meet the people that they help because hearing their stories really brings it home to you, and builds your faith in the charity—it makes it unforgettable.’

‘I’m encouraging more of my colleagues to go along and get involved, as these visits are very worthwhile and only take a few hours. They are just as relevant to corporate donors as wealthy individuals, so I’d say to others, definitely try this out!’

NPC has scheduled another series of exclusive charity visits this autumn. They are a chance for a small group of like-minded donors to take a closer look at some exceptional charities. As well as meeting charity staff and seeing them in action, donors will hear from an NPC analyst about the issue that the charity is addressing.

See below for the programme of events. For more information, or to sign up, please contact Jo Ballard on 020 7785 6300 or jballard@philanthropycapital.org

September

Treehouse - a school for children with autism
The Shannon Trust - a literacy scheme for prisoners
The Children's Trust - a school for children with severe disabilities

October

ChildLine, there4me and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation - charities treating and preventing child abuse
Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture and RefugeeYouth - charities helping torture victims and refugees
Core Arts - an arts centre for people with mental health problems
St Mark's Family Centre and First Step Trust - a community centre for deprived people and a restaurant employing people with mental health problems

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