Corporate ID Group announces launch of social advocacy venture

Corporate ID Group has announced the start a new venture in corporate social advocacy called ‘Advocacy for Legacy’. The new venture will champion actions targeting those in danger of neglect, primarily children with “inadequate upbringing” resulting from economic pressures, substance abuse, and other difficult circumstance that could hinder children’s development.

“This is an innovative approach bringing together major players from the corporate sector, academia, activism, and the professions to contribute collectively and constructively,” the group said in a statement.

Corporate ID Group Jesmond Saliba described the project as one that will introduce Malta to Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA), going “several steps beyond Corporate Social Responsibility”.

According to Saliba, CSA concerns itself with issues of a social nature of a sustained period.

“We have become used to CSR exercises that support existing projects, but Social Advocacy is strategically deployed concrete action directed towards influencing policy and implementation of programmes in a specific area, in this case societal wellbeing,” explained Saliba.

The venture’s initial efforts will be focused mainly on academic research carried out by the University of Malta’s Faculty of Social Wellbeing where sociologists and experts in children’s wellbeing will analyse and identify issues requiring immediate and preventative action.

The new venture hopes companies can be engage their workers in “championing actions taken by Advocacy for Legacy”.

“There will be the engagement of NGOs who are actively engaged and have an outreach with children and youths so as the forum will develop into a Foundation with the objective to implement a programme of initiatives among targeted audiences who are in danger of societal and economical neglect,” the group said.   

The foundation, it added, will develop into a key player in facilitating and implementing actions to ensure that the country’s economic progress results in improved societal wellbeing.

The team includes:

Prof. Andrew Azzopardi, Dr. Albert Bell, Alison Bezzina, Rebecca Bonnici, Matthew Borg, Peter Borg, Dr. Maria Brown, Josef Bugeja, Dr. Kevin Camilleri, Tonio Cuschieri, Kenneth De Martino, Dr     Chris Deguara, Pierluca Demajo, Anthony Ellul, Sara Ezabe, Joe Farrugia, Matthew Fenech, Dr. Olga Finkel, Dr. Ramona Frendo, Karl Galea, Sean Gravina, David Grech, Romina Grech Fenech, Maleck Haj Moussa, Dr. Roberta Lepre, Anthony Mamo, Isabelle Micallef Bonello, Nathanael Muscat, Carolyne Portelli, Tony Sammut, Brian Schembri, Kevin Schembri, Jo Christine Scicluna, Oliver Scicluna, Amy Talbot, Aneta Turek Odrick Vella, James Vella Clark, Winston Zahra Jr, Lawrence Zammit, Perit David Zahra and more professionals including the teaching profession and medical profession.

Saliba also thanked President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca for accepting to be a patron of the organisation.