Standard Chartered's Go Forward scores GOAL
At Standard Chartered, sustainability is integrated into the way in which the bank carries out its business. It guides everything - from the services it provides to clients, to the way the bank is run and supports the local communities the bank calls home. Promoting the social and economic wellbeing of communities is a critical component of Standard Chartered's strategy to support sustainable development in Sri Lanka. Sports and education build skilled and productive communities and improves livelihoods, which are primarily the aims of Go Forward which will be taken a step further with GOAL.
GOAL is the bank's global programme which uses sport and life skills to transform the lives of adolescent girls. For the first time the program will include boys and Sri Lanka will pilot that aspect of the project. GOAL is a unique multi-stakeholder community program sponsored by Standard Chartered that aims to empower young women (and boys, for the first time, globally, in its program format) for personal and economic development using sport and education as vehicles for change. Using sport and a customised curriculum, the programme addresses disadvantaged youth with the aims of increasing self-confidence and self-value, improving group and community solidarity, enhancing the community and family perception of the value of boys and girls, and enabling pathways for economic development. GOAL covers four core content areas - communication skills, health and hygiene, rights and resources, and financial literacy - that are delivered along with sport training. In Sri Lanka GOAL will use football as the focus sport and coaches from the FFSL and bank staff will deliver the course content.
