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22 news posts in Volunteering

Frontiers news

09 Nov 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: Setting sail for a cause 

Frontiers’ volunteers have always been at the forefront of community and societal responses. Ross McGlennon shares his experience utilizing his sailing skills for a unique volunteering opportunity.  Photo credit: Ross McGlennon What is your background and role at Frontiers?  “Previously, I worked in the outdoor industry which allowed me to travel and experience new places. I spent one season working in Greece and then returned to Scotland to finish university. I joined Frontiers as a journal specialist and now work as a journal manager in health and biomed.”  What does the organization you volunteered for do?  “The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust (EMCT) run residential sailing and activity trips for young people in recovery from cancer. This gives young people the chance to socialize, regain their independence, and quite often, experience something new. The trips are always filled with fun, and opportunities to push your boundaries while forming new friendships.”  Photo credit: Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust What did you do during your time volunteering?  “As a volunteer on a sailing trip, I helped to run the boat while the skipper ensures we make it to our destination. This involved hoisting the sails, making sure everything stays nice and tidy, and being willing to show others how to […]

Photo credit: Elisabeth Hordé

Frontiers news

25 Sep 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: Growing together oceans apart 

Frontiers’ volunteers have always been at the forefront of community and societal responses. Elisabeth Hordé shares her experience mentoring and growing together with student-athletes a continent away.  Photo credit: Elisabeth Hordé What is your background and role at Frontiers?  “I joined Frontiers in January 2022 as a project manager for our product operations team, which sits under the technology department. Since April 2023, I have also been chair of our Disability and Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group (ERG).  “Most of my career has been focused on project management when not deep diving into product or supporting change. I have worked in international organizations, startups, and multinationals. First, I evolved in publishing, then shifted towards fintech, and now I am positioned between publishing and tech thanks to Frontiers!”  What does the organization you volunteered for do?  “The athLEDA Foundation is a US-based organization that helps young student-athletes from underserved communities by connecting them with selected mentors. The idea is to help them see themselves as more than just athletes. athLEDA arise empowers student-athletes with a program that elevates their professional skills.  “The foundation fosters leadership and emotional intelligence while focusing on a STEM approach. Mentees can also find opportunities in all types […]

Photo credit: Emily Darley

Frontiers news

26 Jul 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: Taking action through tutoring

Frontiers’ volunteers have always been at the forefront of community and societal responses. Emily Darley shares her volunteering efforts tutoring, an opportunity that has allowed her to combine her skills and interests.  Photo credit: Emily Darley What is your background and role at Frontiers?  “I joined Frontiers last year as a copyediting specialist. My background is mainly in academia: I did a PhD looking at cognitive processing of linguistic material, followed by a postdoc in which I worked on a computational project in automatic speech recognition. Alongside and in-between this work, I did a couple of freelance stints working on copyediting of scientific articles. I enjoyed it and ultimately decided to take my career in that direction. While I was working in academia, I had quite a few opportunities for teaching — typically undergraduates, but occasional outreach efforts with younger pupils too. It’s something that I miss a little bit in this role. Volunteering is a perfect way to scratch that itch in a way that feels really positive!”  What does the organization you volunteered for do?  “Action Tutoring is a national education charity whose aim is to ‘level the playing field’ to some extent in terms of access to […]

Frontiers news

12 May 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: A people’s park full of London lore 

Frontiers’ volunteers have always been at the forefront of community and societal responses. Amy Tighe shares her volunteering efforts cleaning up a local park and learning more about its history.  Photo credit: Frontiers What is your background and role at Frontiers?  “I’m a production specialist at Frontiers. Prior to this, I did an MA in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London and I’m hoping to start a part-time Psychology Conversion MSc this autumn. I have done a lot of outdoorsy jobs, such as working at one of London’s city farms and teaching horseback riding, as well as working in hospitality.”  What does the organization you volunteered for do?  “The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (FoTHCP) is an award-winning local charity that protects and cares for the Cemetery Park, which hasn’t been a ‘living cemetery’ since 1966. It’s now a 31-acre nature reserve, open to all, and is London’s most central urban woodland and one of its ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries. Dog-walkers, joggers, families, school groups, and those looking for an unusual stroll for a date are all daily users, and the surface has been resurfaced with recycled materials to make it more accessible for wheelchair users and buggies.”  Photo […]

Featured news

24 Mar 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: February’s friendly competitions for good 

Frontons wasted no time when it came to jumping back into volunteer activities at the start of the new year, even challenging colleagues to join them in doing good with some friendly competition. This month, we talk to journal launch specialist and Sustainability Network launch team member Hannah Kulmatycki and portfolio manager and production team member Vikki Davies about the challenges to start off 2023.  Photo credit: Frontiers February Fashion Detox  Frontiers’ Sustainability Network is an employee-run, volunteer-based initiative aimed at encouraging sustainable practices at both the individual and corporate level. Led by Frontons from across various departments, the network brings awareness to key issues that everyone faces and advocates for choices in line with Frontiers’ larger mission for enabling healthy lives on a healthy planet. The Sustainability Network organizes regular activities throughout the year, such as a guest speaker series, environmentally conscious events, and a monthly newsletter with helpful resources. The decision to hold a challenge at the beginning of the year took into consideration the factors many people face at this time of year.  Photo credit: Marie Bubloz “We had just hosted our first speaker series event of 2023 on doughnut economics and the circular economy featuring Zohar […]

Featured news

25 Jan 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: Thinking globally, acting locally

The growth mindset guiding Frontiers to support solutions for healthy lives on a healthy planet once again came to life through our annual volunteer efforts. At Frontiers, we believe each of us plays an important role in having a positive impact on society. That is why we are committed to contributing to communities in a meaningful and sustainable way. We encourage our people – affectionately referred to as Frontons – to participate in volunteering activities with charity partners. To make this possible, each Fronton receives three working days per year that they can dedicate to volunteer efforts.  Photo credit: Frontiers Every Fronton is empowered to volunteer, and our volunteering platform Alaya makes it particularly convenient to get involved. Alaya compiles available opportunities with vetted organizations into a digital catalog, allowing Frontons to filter these based on a variety of criteria, including cause, skills, and location, in order find the right match. The platform also gives Frontons a space to connect over these volunteering activities and encourages further participation, be it individual outputs or group initiatives. Over the past year, Frontons spent 662 hours, or the equivalent of 27.5 days, volunteering, donated 241 goods, and raised CHF 625 in monetary donations. Their […]

Frontiers news

27 Jul 2022

Frontiers’ volunteers: Riding for restoration and… cake

Frontiers’ volunteers have always been at the forefront of community and societal responses. This month, we celebrate our fellow Frontons’  team effort Riding for Cake and fundraising for eco restoration. Frontiers’ employees Hedwig Ens, Igor Faulmann, Helen Kimbell, Ilaria Prete and Daniel Sidoli took on a gruelling Possenia’s Togeveresting event, cycling up a mountain over and over again to gain as much elevation as possible in 8 hours, 8 minutes, and 48 seconds (the ‘height’ of Mount Everest), to support rewilding and ecosystem restoration efforts. Photo credit: Gabriella Zozzaro Possenia, as a registered Swiss not-for-profit, purpose-driven organization, is dedicated to its mission of protecting vulnerable communities and supporting climate-related projects that aim to improve our planet. Possenia Cycling is all about love of cycling, great performance on the bike and community but most of all it is about giving back to others and to the planet. In 2022, Possenia’s efforts focus on restoration of ecosystems and rewilding. When people think of Switzerland, deforestation and destruction of ecosystems doesn’t really come to mind. However, the reality is that from 2001 to 2020, Switzerland lost 40.3kha of tree cover, equivalent to a 2.6% decrease in tree cover since 2000. Globally, 80’000 acres of rainforest disappear each day. […]

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