An initiative anchored in community, to help shape the future.
In the season of giving, Burberry is championing the power of giving back - to nurture the next generation, allowing them to explore their dreams and always go beyond.
Partnering with English international footballer and youth advocate, Marcus Rashford MBE, Burberry joins forces with charities supporting young people across the world, empowering the voices that will shape our tomorrow. In support of his efforts to end child food poverty, Burberry has continued to provide donations to FareShare, which will fund over 200,000 meals distributed across 11,000 charities and community groups across the UK.
Burberry pledges to support UK youth organisations in Manchester, London and charities with a global reach. Programmes range from education to supporting young creatives and artists, and helping entrepreneurs to tackle some of the world’s significant challenges. These outreaches will positively affect the lives of tens of thousands of young people across the world – encouraging and enabling them to achieve.
In London, Burberry is working with London Youth, which supports a network of over 600 community youth organisations and creates thousands of engaging opportunities for young people each year. Fifteen youth centres jointly selected by Burberry and London Youth will receive grants to ensure their programmes can continue to make a positive impact in some of London's most deprived communities.
In Manchester, Burberry is supporting Norbrook Youth Club and Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, which are both youth centres that played a pivotal role in Rashford’s childhood. Youth volunteers from the two clubs will be coming together as part of the partnership to help charities in the Wythenshawe area where the clubs are based and Rashford grew up.
Alongside these youth centres, Burberry is contributing to Wide Rainbow, a non-profit based in New York City providing access to the arts and arts education in neighbourhoods across the United States with little to no resources. The donation will provide art supplies, food deliveries and music education to young people in these communities as well as fund the creation of art murals to invigorate schools and shelters in New York and Los Angeles.
To further the international reach of this work, Burberry is partnering with the International Youth Foundation to contribute to the Global Youth Resiliency Fund. This will enable young entrepreneurs and community leaders, especially in Asia, to develop solutions to challenges including closing nutrition gaps and unlocking access to livelihoods.
Burberry’s history of supporting its communities is rooted in the altruism of its founder Thomas Burberry - himself a former young apprentice when he established his company aged just 21. Throughout his career, Thomas Burberry used his success as a way to contribute to society. This spirit of championing communities and youth remains today, through partnerships with organisations making a positive impact around the world.
Marcus Rashford MBE embodies the ethos of supporting community – like Thomas Burberry, he is a pioneer, an innovator, a free-thinking trailblazer who harnesses his own achievements as a way to give back and nurture a new generation.
Through this initiative, Burberry continues an ethos of empowering our resilient, caring communities that inspire and represent a more inclusive global future.
‘Supporting communities has long been a part of what Burberry stands for, from our founder Thomas Burberry’s philanthropic efforts, to our current commitments that are making a positive impact on thousands of lives around the world. This year has substantially impacted young people, and we wanted to mark this festive season by giving back to the incredible youth centres and charities making a life-changing difference through providing safe spaces and vital support. These organisations are at the heart of so many young people’s lives, and we believe, especially now, it is so important to help them empower the emerging change-makers of tomorrow and continue their efforts to sustain and protect the vulnerable while working towards a better future.' - Pam Batty, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility.
‘We are delighted to be working with Burberry on this new programme to support young Londoners most affected by the pandemic. The young people we are helping have been especially affected. Many have lost time at school, lost work experience opportunities, and many of their parents have lost work. It’s tough for them to dream big and think about their future. This crucial and timely investment from Burberry will enable London Youth to work with 15 youth organisations in the most economically deprived parts of London to meet young people’s essential needs. This includes providing meals, helping young people catch up on schoolwork they’ve missed out on during lockdown and providing support for their mental health.’ - Kawika Solidum, Director of Engagement.
‘At Norbrook we have always relied entirely on volunteer work to support the local community through the continued existence and improved experience that the youth club provides. But it is so worthwhile and sometimes overwhelming to see the amount of support we get back in different ways, from creative or practical work to generous funding, which allows us to grow and contribute going forward. We are immensely grateful to Burberry and Marcus Rashford MBE for their joint donation in giving back to the club he spent so much time at as a young person and the community he grew up in. It will make all the difference in transforming the exterior space into an engaging and exciting garden area for all age groups to benefit.’ - Gavin Evans, Chairman.
‘The Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre is a gem at the heart of our community. The centre offers a wide range of support services that bring local people – both young and old – together and help them live well. Last year alone, almost 600 of our young people volunteered their time, giving back to their local community as we work to become a city of social action. Marcus Rashford MBE having been part of the youth club means a lot here. We are delighted to receive this donation from Burberry, which will support the lasting legacy we are building for the future generation of the Wythenshawe community.’ - Paul Seymour, Executive Director of Housing and Community Investment.
‘Wide Rainbow is thrilled to have the support of Burberry this 2020-21 school year. In these uncertain times, art and expression are paramount. Together we will be realising extraordinary projects, new initiatives and providing essential resources that will directly serve our youth and community partners throughout New York and Los Angeles.’ - Ashley Gail Harris, Founder & Executive Director.
‘Young people have been impacted especially hard by Covid-19, but true to form, they are stepping up to create solutions for themselves, their families, their communities and the world. Without doubt, it’s the resiliency and energy of young women and men, with their innovative spirits and bold actions, that will guide global efforts to reimagine, repair and rebuild. Supporting our young change-makers has never been more important. That’s why we started the Global Youth Resiliency Fund. With generous contributions from forward-thinking organisations like Burberry, we can continue standing by, for and with young people as they create a better, brighter future for all of us.’ - Susan Reichle, President & CEO, International Youth Foundation.
