Sabancı Volunteers Program

This year, the Sabancı Volunteers Program carried out meaningful projects and initiatives that have touched the lives of thousands of people across the country.

“Tomorrow Is Ours”

Sabancı Volunteers launched a major social responsibility initiative, “Tomorrow Is Ours,” to ensure a better future for the children or siblings of healthcare workers, the central heroes of the pandemic. This effort aims to prepare young people for every aspect of their adult lives, with the program providing them with the tools needed to achieve their career goals. During the pandemic, the stressful nature of their parents’ work and the difficulties of online education exacerbated the pressure on these young people while they prepared for their university entrance exams. To address this issue, Sabancı Holding decided to support these deserving youth, who represent the future of healthcare, by bringing this ambitious initiative to life.

The Tomorrow Is Ours effort was founded on two parallel pillars of critical support: a Mentoring Program and a Career Development Program.

Between 2021 and 2022, a total of 1,000 Sabancı Volunteers mentored 1,300 young people from 65 cities as part of the Tomorrow Is Ours initiative.

Sabancı Republic Day Campaign

Sabancı Group’s highest priority since the day it was founded is keeping the values of the Republic of Türkiye alive. After the devastating forest fires and floods in Türkiye in 2021, the Group initiated the Sabancı Republic Day Campaign. The mission of this effort is to support restoration and healing in the aftermath of environmental disasters while also serving as a pioneer and example for sustainable living. The campaign aims to ensure a better future for the new generations as well as the environment and for all living things, while honoring the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

2022

This year in its second installment, the Sabancı Republic Day Campaign celebrated the 99th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye with great enthusiasm by all volunteers participating in this effort.

In 2022, the campaign was Türkiye’s highest attended social responsibility initiative.

The Sabancı Republic Day Campaign was carried out around four themes this year: “Preparing Youth for the Future,” “Women’s Participation in the Workforce,” “Preventive Response against Climate Emergencies,” and “Supporting Biodiversity.”

A total of 32 social responsibility projects and 242 events were implemented by all 16 companies and institutions of Sabancı Group under the campaign that spanned 48 cities across Türkiye.

All the efforts carried out as part of the Sabancı Republic Day Campaign were dedicated to the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on November 10, as in the previous year. Atatürk and his memory were kept alive by these exceptional volunteers working hard for Türkiye and its people.

2022 Sabancı Republic Day Campaign Results by Theme Breakdown

Preparing Youth for the Future:

• Digital and sustainability training provided to 12 thousand young people.
• Schools renovated and classrooms established so Türkiye’s children can receive an education in better conditions.

Women’s Participation in the Workforce:

• Technology training provided to 1,400 women.
• Gender equality awareness raised among 4,200 young persons.

Preventive Response against Climate Emergencies:

• Measures taken to restore 75 thousand hectares of forest area.
  • Artificial intelligence-based early fire detection systems established 40 Kozalak forest fire early detection systems covering a 5,000-hectare area.
  • Eight fire pools constructed, each with a 600-ton capacity, to facilitate rapid response to fires: one in Adana, three in Antalya, three in Muğla, one in Çanakkale, covering a 70-thousand-hectare area.
• A total of 208 thousand saplings planted.
• Eight tons of waste collected.

Supporting Biodiversity:

• Honey forests enriched, with 2,500 hive stands set up.
• Natural habitats established for some 300 million wildlife and creatures.
• Ten tons of fruit and vegetable products left in the fields delivered to those in need during food rescue harvests.
• Permaculture gardens established.
• Raised awareness of biodiversity among 1,350 persons.

“Running for Good”

This year, 2,000 Sabancı Volunteers participated in the İstanbul Marathon, the largest single group to run in the intercontinental race. Sabancı Volunteers ranked in the top three in the amount of donations collected for charity.

Sabancı Volunteers’ collected funds were donated to 23 NGOs and touched the lives of about 2,200 people in Türkiye.

Domestic and International Awards

In 2022, Sabancı Volunteers received numerous major awards from the most reputable Turkish and international organizations in recognition of their work and impact.

Sabancı Holding won the Bronze award in the “Social Solidarity Projects” category for its Tomorrow Is Ours initiative at the Brandverse Awards.

The Brandverse Awards recognizes excellence in marketing and communications and is organized by Marketing Türkiye and BoomSonar.

Sabancı Volunteers won the Most Successful Volunteer Project award at the 14th Awards from the Heart in recognition of the Group’s Tomorrow Is Ours initiative. The Awards from the Heart competition is organized by the Private Sector Volunteers Association (ÖSGD). These coveted awards are among the most sought-after in the volunteer field. The competition has been held since 2007 to support and extend volunteering activities in the private sector and recognize volunteer groups that provide noteworthy contributions to society.

This year, Sabancı Holding received the Special Jury Award for its Sabancı Republic Day Campaign at the Golden Compass Türkiye Public Relations Awards – the first public relations sector award program in Türkiye.

Sabancı Holding was presented with a prestigious global award in the “Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility” category at the 2022 Communitas Awards for its Sabancı Republic Day Campaign. In addition, Sabancı Holding won the Bronze award in the “Purpose Driven Marketing” category at MMA Smarties 2022.