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CEIBS: Community Outreach and Inclusion Network Philanthropy Club

President Anchit Goel shows us that business can have a softer side

By  Jessica Hadley

Wed Jul 18 2012

BusinessBecause
Anchit Goel, an MBA candidate at Shanghai’s China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and president of CEIBS COIN Philanthropy Club, talks to BusinessBecause about how their COIN Philanthropy Club is offering students the opportunity to give back to the community whilst doing their studies.

Tell us a bit about COIN club and your aims.

The CEIBS Community Outreach and Inclusion Network (COIN) Philanthropy Club was established in 2010 to provide a platform for MBA students to contribute to the community through volunteer works, help others through donation drives and build network through charity. The major activities of the club include migrant school English teaching classes, donation drives, day at CEIBS for migrant children to visit CEIBS, visit to museums, sports events with migrant children, orphanage visits and big brother/ sister/ buddy program. The activities of the club are very popular and widely adopted amongst both foreign and Chinese students.

What’s the most exciting event you have been involved in?

Since its inception, the most popular activity of the club has been teaching English to children of migrant workers. COIN Club has started English teaching classes at Jiuqian Migrant School in Pudong, Shanghai every Sunday. Over 25 volunteers from MBA 2011 batch have come forward to join this initiative and are working dedicatedly to improve the lives of over 60 less privileged children. The volunteers meet every week to discuss and design the teaching lessons and use games, songs and other innovative teaching methodologies to improve the children’s ability to learn English vocabulary. Along with the classes, volunteers also organise celebration of various festivals and important days such as Halloween, Christmas and Chinese Spring Festival. The children have really enjoyed learning and spending time with the volunteers. At the same time, the MBA student volunteers get an opportunity to learn and develop their soft skills that will be useful to them throughout their personal and professional life.

How applicable are the skills you’ve learnt with COIN club to life post-MBA?

In the recent years, we have seen businesses become increasingly aware of the need to care for the community in which they operate whilst focusing on their business objectives. More and more businesses are increasing spending on employee welfare, community development and environment protection initiatives. These activities not only help the beneficiaries but also the businesses in strengthening their brand and reputation among their stakeholders.

What would you say to MBAs who are interested in your message of inclusivity?

At COIN Club, we believe that MBA students are in a unique position to influence the future of the philanthropy culture in China. These students will go on to be business leaders, people of great wealth and influence; therefore, setting the seeds of giving now could have a profound impact in the future. We regularly emphasize this element in COIN activities, which have both foreign and Chinese student participants. The activities of the club have also dovetailed nicely with the recent change in curriculum at CEIBS to emphasize more ethics and sustainability. Students are now seeing the activities of COIN as not only something that makes them feel good and provides them with excellent networking opportunities, but also that this culture of doing good will be beneficial for the future firms that they either join or start themselves.
 

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