In Lithuania and Latvia, Yukon Group supports about 20 public organisations and various social projects. We have been one of the leaders in Lithuania in terms of the scale of social responsibility projects for many years, as evidenced by the Lithuanian Business Confederation’s study “Business and Social Responsibility: From Concept to Practice”. In 2022, Pulsar Optics (Latvia) was also awarded for its social projects, becoming the most socially responsible organisation of the year in Latgale region.
But our activities for the benefit of society are oriented not only towards scale, but also towards the long term, and not to be afraid to support projects that help to solve very difficult social problems, such as children abuse.
We invite you to look at the broader contours of our social policy and hear our social partners’ views on the importance of continued sponsorship.
Social activities have two directions
“Our social activities focus on two main areas: assistance to social partners and public organisations that promote the integration of socially vulnerable groups into society, and the development of citizenship. We actively support non-profit organisations (NPOs), medical and educational institutions. One of the most recent examples of this is the donation by Pulsar Optics (Latvia) of 20,000 euros in favour of Daugavpils Hospital. We are convinced that only long-term and consistent support, not one-day campaigns, builds a stronger, more equal society where every person matters. Such support creates value for our environment and for ourselves,” says Germanas Kavalskis, Chief Communications Officer at Yukon Group.
Aliaksandr Alsheuski, the Founder and long-time CEO of Yukon Group, initiated a culture of consistent philanthropy. Under his leadership, the company has conducted active and long-standing social activities, supported socially important organisations, and during the war in Ukraine provided significant assistance to war refugees. Volha Alsheuskaya, the CEO of Yukon Group, continues to be actively involved in socially significant activities.
Poverty reduction is among long-term projects
Yukon Group has been co-operating with Maisto bankas, a charity and support foundation, for more than three years. It is one of our largest social partners. We first got in touch with the foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the co-operation continues to this day.
“When the pandemic started, the company reached out to us on its own. When they learnt that we were not only fighting food waste and helping those in need, but also actively supporting the elderly, they immediately made a significant financial contribution. We then saw that together we could do something very meaningful and impactful, and we have continued our co-operation ever since. Yukon Group stands out among our partners because it never looks for fancy projects, but constantly supports our daily work and realises how important it is,” says Miglė Petronytė, Communications Manager at Maisto bankas.
According to Sandra Masevičienė, Head of Fundraising at the social organisation Gydytojai klounai “Raudonos nosys” (Clown Doctors), another long-standing social partner of Yukon Group, long-term cooperation is particularly valuable.
“Yukon Group is our largest corporate sponsor, contributing the largest amount each year. It can be called friendship between business and NGO, because they are always interested in our activities, come to visit us, participate in events. Long-term co-operation requires time, energy and attention, and we are glad that Yukon Group is one of such long-term partners,” says Masevičienė.
Helping “invisible” children
Another important feature of our social policy is the courage to support projects that solve problems that often do not appeal to other businesses.
For example, Yukon Group supports the Daugavpils Red Cross, which pays special attention to children with disabilities. Among our long-standing partners in Lithuania is also the organisation SOS Children’s Village, which provides care for children growing up without parental attention.
A representative of this organisation notes that many companies do not usually support such social projects, and most of the funds come from individuals in the form of regular donations.
“The targeted donation from the Yukon Group goes towards the summer camps for children that we organise every year in Karkle. These camps are a real joy and a lasting experience for our children. Most businesses stay away from donating to such projects. In my opinion, this is due to the lack of culture of socially responsible activities as a part of business, the lack of information about the importance of support and the scale of social problems in Lithuania”, – shares the thoughts Julija Vasilčenko, Head of Business Partnership of the SOS Children’s Villages.
Yukon Group also provides support to children who have experienced physical and other forms of violence by contributing to the Children’s Support Centre project. Its aim is to provide continuing psychological support to children who have experienced violence. Yukon Group started working with the Children’s Support Centre last year.
