June 19th marks Juneteenth, now a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. In recognition of this event, it is great to see ING Americas partner with Minds Matter NYC, an organisation that seeks to address disparities in employment and economic mobility for students from low-income families so as to provide them with the preparation and possibilities to succeed in college and their future.
Minds Matter NYC (MM-NYC ) is a 7+ year college and career attainment program, spanning high school through their first years as a professional, that offers a combination of individualised mentor support and academic instruction, providing students with the resources, information, and guidance they need to gain admission to, and graduate from four-year colleges and universities.
As one of MM-NYC’s partner organisations, ING America is engaged on several levels, one of which is the investment in MM-NYC’s “Propel Program”, which creates a meaningful talent pipeline for intern and analyst recruitment at ING.
In addition to this investment, employees of ING America have first-hand experience of working with the students in the MM-NYC program across high school and university.
1. ING engagement includes (a) one-day volunteer events throughout the year or (b) 3-mo MM-NYC Career Coach program. Volunteer Days are opportunities for ING staff to spend 1-2 hours helping high-school students with networking, interview etiquette and general communication, while as Career Coaches, experienced ING employees are paired with MM-NYC college students who are interested in finance and banking.
2. Outside of ING, individuals may sign-up on their own to serve as 3-year Mentors or Writing & Critical Thinking Advisors for these students during high school, volunteering with MM-NYC every Saturdays for 2-3 hours per week during the school year.
3. ING America also participates MM-NYC’s annual Career Incubator during which ING colleagues partake in a number of panels, educating approx. 75-100 MM-NYC students about various banking and non-banking careers in finance and the culture of ING.
Over the 3-years of partnership with MM-NYC, ING America has had 75+ ING colleagues volunteering in different ways at MM-NYC events, and 8 MM-NYC students joining ING Summer Internship Program, with one being hired full-time – and hopefully more to join ING Americas! 👏 🎓
