Examples 2023

In Geneva’s « Europe-Charmilles » district social issues are high and many young people living there struggle to find an apprenticeship or a suitable job. The Association Europe-Charmilles is devoted to helping the young adults and women in this neighborhood. Its «Mon Avenir» program is divided into four areas – sport, job coaching, assistance with legal and/or administrative concerns and psychological support. It gives young people in challenging situations a helping hand and offers them individual guidance, so they can add structure to their day, find suitable work or an apprenticeship and boost their self-confidence.

The UBS Foundation for Social Issues and Education is providing CHF 30 000 to support the delivery of job coaching within the « Mon Avenir » workplace integration program in 2023/24.

For 175 years, the Verein Institution Barbara Keller has been committed to giving people with disabilities and learning needs access to training and education and improving their quality of life. The organization is now running an integration program within a social working environment. It offers targeted support to young people with a migrant or refugee background looking to start their careers. Participants benefit from individual guidance and support, care work (looking after disabled people, young children or the elderly) at a social or healthcare institution, internal language courses and job coaching, with follow-on solutions sought at an early stage.

The UBS Foundation for Social Issues and Education is providing CHF 25 000 to help with the integration training.

According to statistics, 30,000 people in Switzerland aged 50 to 64 were registered as unemployed at the end of 2022. In addition, 38,000 people expire their entitlement to unemployment benefits each year – with people over 45 making up almost half this figure. The Neustarter-Stiftung’s «Loopings» center of excellence aims to help these people back into work with its 12-month program «Ressourcen-Sprungbrett für den Quereinstieg». This is aimed at the long-term unemployed and people aged 45 to 60 whose unemployment benefits expired, who are keen to develop on a personal and professional level and are open to switching to a new industry. After a person has been out of work for a long time, they often lack vital resources like a strong professional and social network and a sense of self-worth. The program’s three modules focus on these specific areas, assisting participants with reorienting themselves and finding a job.

The UBS Foundation for Social Issues and Education is providing CHF 25 000 to support the creation and execution of the program.

The Verein Lerntreff Burgdorf focuses on fostering equal opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged young people in Burgdorf’s Gyrischachen district. This multicultural neighborhood is home to large numbers of children and young people who grew up speaking foreign languages and whose parents are unable to offer them much help with their schoolwork. As part of the program, professional learning coaches teach the children personalized structures and strategies so they can learn independently. This provides them with important skills and turns learning into a positive experience – making it more likely that they will successfully integrate at school and in the world of work.

The UBS Foundation for Social Issues and Education is providing CHF 13 000 to support the delivery of the learning coaching in 2023.