On May 24–29, 2017 in Legionowo (near Warsaw) 42 MetLife employees took part in a corporate volunteering event. They helped build a hostel for young people recovering from substance misuse. The event was a part of the Community Week, which was organized by the MetLife company in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Poland.
The volunteers contributed to finishing works in the Youth Center for the Artistic and Spiritual Development. This innovative center is being developed in Legionowo by the “Passion of Life” Foundation, a local non-governmental organization.
The Youth Center for the Artistic and Spiritual Development will have two main missions: on the one hand, it will help young people recovering from substance misuse on their way towards independent living; on the other hand, it will run substance misuse prevention programs among the youth. Young people who have recently completed their substance misuse treatment will live in a residential part of the center, i.e. a hostel. With the help of specialists working there, they will prepare themselves for living on their own in the future. The process of their social reintegration will be supported by contact with other young people who will come to the center to use its facilities, such as a psychological support center and rooms providing opportunities to develop talents and interests, including a gym, a recording studio and a computer room.
Since March 2017, Habitat for Humanity Poland has been supporting the construction of the center, e.g. by mobilizing volunteers to help with basic construction works. To learn more about the construction of the center, go to the project description.
The corporate volunteering event with the MetLife employees took place on May 24–29, 2017 and was part of the Community Week – the company’s initiative that promotes corporate social responsibility. 42 volunteers contributed 250 hours of work and helped with the tasks like painting, smoothing, polishing and plastering walls and ceilings.
Contribution to the construction of the center was a satisfying experience for the volunteers. As they emphasized in evaluation surveys, the initiative to build a hostel for young people who struggle to overcome their addictions is of great value:
- As I see it, the project is very useful. It was fun and useful at the same time, a great initiative. And a good way to relax too 🙂
- A very useful and valuable initiative. I am extremely satisfied with the work as in the present day it is so crucial to support people in need in any possible way. Every day it seems to me that I don’t have enough of something and such an event makes you aware that there are people who have less than you.
- An interesting experience that shows how you can help others in an “unusual way”. It encourages you to take part in events like that in the future. Keep up the good work!
- It is great that such organizations exist. It was nice to help other people, learn something new and spend time with employees working in other departments.
The participants agreed that all aspects of the corporate volunteering event were well-organized, including the assignment of tasks and the provision of tools. 98,5% of them rated the organization as “excellent” or “good.”
The corporate volunteering event in Legionowo was the second event organized by MetLife and Habitat for Humanity Poland. Last year, more than 70 employees of the company helped build supported housing for foster care alumni in Warsaw.
For more information on the corporate volunteering event organized last year in partnershipo with MetLife, go to the post titled “MetLife employees helped build supported housing (May/June 2016)” (in Polish).
Why does MetLife partner with Habitat for Humanity Poland?
Izabela Ptaszyńska, the company’s Head of Marketing and Communications, says: The success of such events like the Community Week depends on volunteers’ engagement. We are glad that courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Poland and the MetLife Foundation, which supported the Community Week financially, the MetLife employees could help and do something for other people again.
