Luxembourg-based steel and mining company ArcelorMittal today reported that 10 of its global employees will be lending their support to a charitable theatre organisation as part of the company's first Solidarity Holiday in London.
ArcelorMittal's annual global Solidarity Holidays programme involves company volunteers spending part of their annual leave working with local communities overseas and this year it will be the Theatre Royal Stratford East (TRSE) in London who will receive help from the steel and mining company. Volunteers from ten different country branches of ArcelorMittal will spend the course of this week working alongside the TRSE on its 'The Streets' programme, comprised of a new piece of immersive theatre aimed at transforming the environment in and around TRSE into a live performance space. Volunteers will contribute to the event by building props, stewarding at performances, and taking part alongside more than 60 local performers.
"We are delighted to be hosting ArcelorMittal’s first London-based Solidarity Holiday this week, and to use this platform to extend our ongoing support for Theatre Royal Stratford East," stated Ian Louden, Head of Brand, Worldwide at ArcelorMittal. He added: "The theatre group’s work with young people is an important component of the huge urban regeneration happening in East London – something that is symbolised by the ArcelorMittal Orbit in the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park."
ArcelorMittal has also sponsored TRSE's 'Young People's Work' for the past two years, which aims to provide opportunities for young people at risk of leaving education in the East End, by offering them the chance to get involved with theatre.
Jan Sharkey-Dodds, Head of Young People’s Work at Theatre Royal Stratford East, commented: “ArcelorMittal has given us immensely valuable support for our ‘Young People’s Work’ over the past two years. The continuity of their support has meant that we have been able to give young people the opportunity to take part over a sustained period. We know that this means we can make a lasting impact on their lives. We are now able to support young people into the next chapter of their learning and enable them to see themselves as achievers. Some are destined for college, work, training and some will be professional artists in their own right”.
ArcelorMittal’s Solidarity Holiday programme was launched in 2010 as part of the company’s commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates. The aim of the project is to give ArcelorMittal employees the opportunity to volunteer in a community project in a country other than their own to promote diversity and cultural exchange and offer employees the chance to give their time to a worthy cause.
This year, Solidarity Holidays will run in South Africa, Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, China and the United Kingdom. Over 60 employees from 27 different countries will travel thousands of miles from home to volunteer in different community projects.
Photo by ArcelorMittal
