A Covenant for Tomorrow -- With Today’s Youth

Whenever organizations reach out to the youth of their communities, it’s the best sort of outreach – a bet on the future. It’s a great way of connecting big, seemingly impersonal companies to the hopes of young people for a secure, successful place in the world. That’s why the time I spend each year with the youth of Covenant House is precious to me, and recently it was my privilege to host a lunch and career event along with a generous group of my Mercer and MMC colleagues.

If you haven’t heard of Covenant House, it was founded 40 years ago in Manhattan’s lower east side when some runaway children were given shelter during a snowstorm, and it has truly snowballed since then. By now, there are 21 Covenant House locations in the US, Canada, and Latin America, all great shelters from the storm for some 56,000 homeless youth each year. Covenant House counts on donations, and prides itself on being the nation’s largest privately funded agency for homeless and at-risk youth, open 24 hours a day.

Our event was a straightforward way of saying to the young people of Covenant House that we are here, virtually around the corner, and could even be a career destination for some of them. With that in mind, Ed Dandridge – communications chief of Mercer’s parent company, MMC – briefly explained who we are and what we do.

So we set up a quartet of interactive stations to let them know in greater detail how a company like ours might relate to their worlds. With a mix of MMC and Mercer and outsourcing partner colleagues, consultants, and business leaders there to explain, we showcased our racial and ethnic diversity initiatives;  our programs for rising professionals and interns; information about our security, facilities, and food services groups; and how we are innovating in the marketplaces we serve. I wasn’t surprised at the level of intense interest it all generated – especially our technology innovations, like the Mercer Match app, with its game-based job matching software.

The bottom line is that it doesn’t take much to tap into tomorrow by supporting and finding a few hours to connect with youth-serving partners like Covenant House. Tonight, I’m once again sleeping overnight on the streets of New York as a participant in the Covenant House Executive Sleep Out fundraiser. This moving event is one more way to make a big difference in the lives of these young people.

Our world needs more of these ambitious young people, and by investing some of our time, talent, and treasure there, we not only serve a greater good, we might also help sustain our talent pipelines. I’d love to hear from you about similar programs you embrace, and how to best reach out to tomorrow through today’s youth!

Julio Portalatin