Corporate Social Responsibility 2019-2020
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Letter from CEO & Our CSR Manager
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WorldStrides CSR Strategy
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CSR Case Studies Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
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Environmental Sustainability
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Health & Wellness
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Community Engagement
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Measuring Progress
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LETTER FROM OUR CEO & OUR CSR MANAGER
Since starting our journey in 1967, WorldStrides has grown to be the largest and most trusted educational travel and experiences organization in the United States. Our mission flows through everything we do—enabling students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world, and themselves, in new ways. WorldStrides’ company values drive our decisions and actions in pursuit of this mission every day:
We act as one team with integrity, respect, transparency, and inclusion.
We build education and learning into everything we do.
We do the right thing to deliver exceptional results to every customer.
We care for our people and communities.
WorldStrides recognizes that our decisions impact communities around the globe. The launch of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy marked important milestones, including the development of key initiatives that will help solidify our CSR infrastructure for many years to come. In this first year of our CSR strategy, the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19 tested these values and our resolve like never before. Our steadfast commitment to our communities and the tireless efforts of our employees ensured the safe return of over 4,000 students from overseas. Health and safety are our top priorities, and that extends to our WorldStrides team, which is why we quickly shifted to work remotely from home. Our next step focused on providing employees with resources to manage stress, isolation, and anxiety, as well as emphasizing everyday wellness despite the pandemic. It’s in times of adversity that people often shine the most, and we’re very proud of the entire WorldStrides family. Our journey to become CSR innovators is just beginning. The incredible talent throughout WorldStrides and the passion many have shown implementing our CSR strategy bodes well for the future. After all, WorldStrides believes that being socially and environmentally responsible is not only the right thing to do, but also the best thing to do to create long-term value and positive impact.
Bob Gogel
Ian Zurzolo
CEO WorldStrides
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager WorldStrides
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WorldStrides by the Numbers
9,000,000
Programs in more than
110 6
elementary, middle, high school, university, and graduate students have participated since 1967
countries on
Each year,
530,000
continents
students travel with WorldStrides
2019-2020 CSR Milestones WorldStrides’ CSR Strategy approved by Board of Directors Formed CSR Steering Committee to support implementation of initiatives Launched Charitable Giving nominations by employees for youth-serving community organizations
Developed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy and formed DEI Council Launched Volunteer Time Off benefit for employees to give back to their communities Launched Employee Matching initiative to amplify personal donations by employees to community organizations
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Expanded Social and Environmental reporting scope to cover +60% of WorldStrides’ employee footprint globally Drafted Responsible Business Principles Recommended Office Sustainability Improvements across WorldStrides
W O R L D S T R I D E S C S R S T R AT E G Y
WorldStrides will grow stronger every year by implementing our CSR strategy and measuring progress over time.
WorldStrides takes inspiration from our participants who seek to view the world and themselves in new ways. Our company recognizes that there is always room to grow and more to learn to be the best partners possible in our communities. WorldStrides’ CSR strategy embraces this approach as we continually reflect on and refine our business practices to generate a positive impact for all stakeholders.
CSR Focus Areas:
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Ensure employees & participants feel supported & celebrated
Environmental Sustainability Reduce environmental impacts in our offices & on tour
Health & Wellness Invest in the wellbeing of our participants & employees
Community Engagement Increase philanthropic impact with strategic community partners
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Responsible Business Principles WorldStrides bases commercial relations with vendors and business partners on Responsible Business Principles to promote ethics and good governance. We aim to create and nurture mutually beneficial relationships while staying true to our company values. Our goal is to set a positive example within our industry by encouraging other organizations to embrace these principles and to share their own best practices.
Maintain transparent business partnerships
Practice anticorruption in all business transactions
Avoid creating economic dependence with business partners
Maintain confidentiality of information and communication with business partners
Refuse gratuities and excessive gifts from business partners
Respect intellectual property rights of business partners
Avoid conflicts of interest between employees and the company
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CSR CASE STUDIES
WorldStrides implements many initiatives each year within our CSR Focus Areas to benefit stakeholders. Here are several case studies that demonstrate how WorldStrides generates a positive impact through our CSR efforts.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion At WorldStrides, we want to ensure that employees and participants feel valued, supported, and celebrated as they partner with us. We have recently taken several steps to accomplish our goal of overall inclusion within our company.
DEI Training WorldStrides invests in many opportunities to educate our employees on issues regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. All employees participated in an online DEI training session to increase their awareness of unconscious bias, and our Senior Management Team engaged in an interactive discussion to learn how to dispel any of those biases in the work place.
DEI Council In September 2019, WorldStrides created a team of employees from across the organization to recommend programs that better enhance our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion offerings for our coworkers and prospective hires.
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Environmental Sustainability WorldStrides takes the state of the environment and our contribution as a company very seriously. Here are some examples of how we are working to reduce the environmental impact of our offices and our tour programs.
TEAN’s Choose Earth Initiative The Choose Earth Initiative at The Education Abroad Network (TEAN) incorporates environmentally and socially responsible practices into the ethos and outcomes of education abroad. This includes experiential learning opportunities that help build the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students need to become responsible global citizens. TEAN students can also pursue the Choose Earth Certificate program, which encourages them to complete eco-challenges and reflect on their own environmental impact.
Boxed Lunch Recycling Program WorldStrides collaborated with several meal vendors to adjust the packaging of boxed lunches on our Washington D.C. tour programs to educate students about the importance of recycling. Through this initiative, WorldStrides introduced the potential to reduce packaging waste by 2.7 TONS annually. In recognition of this effort, WorldStrides was named the “Top Innovator” at the Charlottesville Climate Collaborative’s Better Business Challenge awards in June 2019.
Sydney Beach Cleanup
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CSR CASE STUDIES
Health & Wellness WorldStrides’ highest priority is the safety and welfare of the individuals participating in our programs. We encourage all our employees, participants, and business partners to take care of themselves, and we try to help in any way we can.
BeWell benefits for employees At WorldStrides, we encourage our people to get active, take care of their mental health, and adopt healthy habits. WorldStriders can take advantage of resources to support their wellness goals through our partnerships with Cigna, Weight Watchers, the Employee Assistance Program, and more.
Behavioral Health Assistance Program for students Mental and behavioral health is essential to a successful trip experience for students and staff. For that reason, WorldStrides partnered with AXA Assistance, one of the world’s leading providers of emergency response, to provide support for students and staff who may need access to counseling services on tour.
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Community Engagement A strong sense of community promotes generosity among employees, and a stronger sense of unity both inside and outside the office. This year, WorldStrides increased its philanthropic impact with strategic community partners by empowering employees with Volunteer Time Off and donating over $75,000 to 22 different charitable organizations.
Australia Bushfire relief WorldStrides has deep ties with Australia. Our company is linked through our employees and participants to Australia’s people, culture, and environment. In response to the devastating Bushfires in January 2020, WorldStrides showed its solidarity by donating to each the following emergency response organizations:
Charitable Giving and Employee Matching As of September 2019, any WorldStrides employee can nominate youth-serving community organizations to receive company donations. In addition, any employee can request to have their personal donations matched by WorldStrides to support education and youth development.
$75,000 22
save the children is setting up child-
friendly spaces in affected regions to help children cope by giving them a safe place to be kids again. world wildlife fund is coordinating
charitable organizations
emergency response for animals endangered by the bushfires, restoring forests and damaged wildlife habitat, and driving innovative solutions to help mitigate climate change.
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MEASURING PROGRESS
WorldStrides began measuring Environmental and Social data across four offices in 2018 (Austin, Boston, Charlottesville, and Salt Lake City) and expanded the reporting scope to eight offices in 2019 (adding Chicago, Merida, Toronto, and Vienna).
Salt Lake City, UT
70 25 1,700+ 0ffices
countries
employees
Continue reading for an in-depth look into the improvements across our initial four offices from Year 1 to Year 2. 9
Boston, MA
Charlottesville, VA
Austin, TX
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MEASURING PROGRESS
AU
STIN
TE X AS
The Austin, TX office is the central office for International Studies Abroad, a Higher Education line of business by WorldStrides. In 2019, the office relocated to a new facility equipped with energy efficient lighting and air conditioning, and moved the in-house data center to the cloud, thereby reducing water and electricity consumption substantially from 2018.
Environmental impact
30.8 % reduction in water consumption
31.8% reduction in electricity consumption
Social impact
93 employees
13.2% increase in percentage of women in the Austin office
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20.8% increase in percentage of female managers in the Austin office
AC S H U
E
S M A S
STON
TT S
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The Boston, MA office is the central office for WorldStrides’ K-12 International Group Travel line of business, Explorica. In 2019, the office relocated and consolidated all Boston-area employees into one primary location with energy efficient lighting and motion sensors to reduce overall usage throughout the day.
Environmental impact
67% reduction in electricity consumption
65 % reduction in water consumption
Social impact
107 employees
4.3% increase in percentage of women in the Boston office
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CHA
TTES IL
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LO
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MEASURING PROGRESS
IR IA GI N
The Charlottesville, VA office is WorldStrides’ largest office, supporting multiple lines of Domestic and International business units. Charlottesville is the central location for WorldStrides’ Executive team, Finances, Legal, Marketing, and Customer Support, along with various sales and operational team members. In 2019, the office aimed to reduce waste by adding new bins, signage, and sustainability tips to promote recycling among employees.
Environmental impact 3.4% reduction in electricity consumption
2.2% reduction in money spent on energy
Social impact
466 employees
6.1% increase in percentage of female managers in the Charlottesville office
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0.5% reduction in waste generated. Still lots of room for improvement!
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SAL
LAKE C
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The Salt Lake City, UT office primarily supports WorldStrides’ Performing Arts line of business. In 2019, printing was centralized, the data room was downsized, and the critical data center equipment was relocated to the cloud to be more energy efficient.
U TAH
Environmental impact 85% of HVAC units have been replaced with Energy efficient units
90% of the lighting is now LED and or Natural lighting
Social impact
37 employees
8.3% increase in percentage of women in the Salt Lake City office
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27.3% increase in percentage of female managers in the Salt Lake City office
The publication of WorldStrides’ Corporate Social Responsibility Report required the hard work of several groups and individuals who provided critical data and creative expertise. Thanks to all the WorldStriders who collaborated in this team effort.
Educational Travel Career Exploration Study Abroad Sports Performing Arts Language Imersion Service-Learning worldstrides.com
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