20 / 24
T
he KONE Centennial Foun-
dation (KCF) was founded
in 2010 to help young
people at the margins of
society gain the knowledge
and skills necessary to
participate in improving their lives and
those of the communities in which
they live.
KCF’s first project in 2011 was the
creation of what we believe to be
China’s first mobile library and certainly
the first designed specifically for children.
It serves the sons and daughters of
migrant workers in China’s rapidly
growing cities. The second project, from
2012, was support for the Rotary Nagar
Youth Center in a slum in Chennai, India.
Here, poorly served local children receive
the educational support that children in
other parts of the world routinely receive
as part of their normal schooling.
Children drive change
In South Africa, KCF has been instru-
mental in conceiving and enabling the
creation of a youth center with a truly
challenging goal: to turn a drug- and
crime-ridden area with painfully high
levels of unemployment into a safe and
productive community through the
leadership of its young people. With the
help of numerous partners, the multi-
service Westbury Youth Center (WYC)
has been established in a former hostel
of the Westbury Secondary School.
KONE South Africa volunteers helped
renovate the facilities, and “refreshed”
computers donated by KONE have
enabled the youth to gain access to
the Internet and the world.
Young people from Westbury and
nearby unofficial settlements can par-
ticipate in such programs as Make It
Better (learning through community
involvement), Digital Curiosity (looking
at their community through the lens
of a camera), Social Media (how to use
the Internet to make your voice heard),
and mLearning (introduction to entre-
preneurship and the world of work via
digital media). This fall, two volunteer
teachers from Finland have begun hold-
ing workshops on the creation of local
radio programs by WYC participants.
The center also houses drug prevention
and family violence intervention teams,
and plans have been made to bring
other health, cultural and educational
services onboard. Last but not least,
WYC has its own community garden.
In just two years, WYC has grown
from an idea into a vibrant contributor
to community wellbeing. Youth partici-
pants make their presence felt outside
the confines of the center, whether by
participating in community events or
by recording daily life through their
photography, blogs or radio interviews.
KCF is committed to the long-term
sustainability of the Westbury Youth
Center and is working with WYC staff
to find other supporters, both public-
and private-sector, to ensure the further
development and stability of this exciting
initiative and the contribution of future
generations of skilled workers, respon-
sible parents, and community-minded
adults in Westbury and its surrounding
neighborhoods. Core project partners so
far have been the Westbury Secondary
School, KONE South Africa, Khulisa Social
Solutions, the Finnish Children and Youth
Foundation, Finland’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Investec and Carlson Wagonlit.
■
20
| PEOPLE FLOW
KONE CENTENNIAL
FOUNDATiON (KCF)
•
Founded in 2010 in honor of
KONE’s centennial celebration.
•
Independent non-profit organi-
zation with a mission to advance
and support developmental,
educational and cultural activities
for children and youth around
the world.
Other ongoing projects
•
China: Joy of Reading Mobile
Library for migrant children
•
India: Rotary Nagar Youth
Center in Chennai
•
South Africa: Westbury
Youth Center
Text and Photos
John Simon
Giving back
Having a corporate conscience is more than an add-on
strategic initiative. It is a responsibility that stretches beyond
environmental duties. And it is this mindset that shapes KONE’s
social behavior − and guides the company to pursue an active
role in communities around the world.