UM’s annual Impact Day brings communities together, partnering with local charities

UM, a global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced its sixth global Impact Day, “Building a Better Future.” The annual day of service, initially launched in 2016 under UM’s corporate social responsibility unit, Better World, demonstrates the agency’s commitment to its core values of community and care.

“As we continue to focus our efforts around the three key pillars of equity, sustainability and wellness, it’s truly heartening to see the very real impact that our people are making in their local communities,” said UM APAC President, Kasper Aakerlund. “Many of these relationships with NGO’s and social service programs have been building over a number of years now, and the impact of connecting and collaborating at a human level within your local community is incredibly powerful.”

On Thursday, July 20, UM closed its offices across APAC, EMEA, LATAM and North America to partner with local charities, NGOs and community organizations.

UM Impact Day activities across the Asia Pacific region include:
• In China, supporting athletes’ training, competition, and communication skills in partnership with the Special Olympics Shanghai team from Shanghai Pudong Special Education School.

• In Australia, working with FareShare, OzHarvest and Our Big Kitchen to help cook nutritious free meals from rescued and donated ingredients to help improve the lives of Australians in hardship.
• In Indonesia, working with the Indonesian Children Creativity Park Elementary School to build out programs and activities focused on Equity: “anti bullying” storytelling class, Sustainability: “secondhand goodies” handcrafting class, and Wellness: “your balanced diet” cooking class.

• In India, partnering with Ecokaari across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to upcycle single-use waste plastics into salable items, promoting livelihoods for artisans from humble backgrounds.
• In Japan, working to clean the local Aoyama Park in Tokyo, in addition to donation driving efforts in support of Free the Children Japan.
• In Malaysia, closing the education gap one meal at a time by supporting Super Sarapan (Super Breakfast) in partnership with an NGO, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang, that works to improve the literacy and nutrition for underserved children.
• In The Philippines, partnering with the Young Focus Organization on the “Donate a School Bag” project for children in Tondo Manila.
• In Singapore, arranging educational and interactive activities with MINDS, a pioneer social service agency caring for people with intellectual disabilities.

• In South Korea, donating reusable or unused items to the Goodwill Store, a social organization promoting employment and profit for people with disabilities.
• In Taiwan, donating time, funds and activities for the NangKang Harmony Home which provides shelter, care, medical attention, education and support cares for children regardless of their age, race, nationality and religion.
• In Thailand, partnering with a community led plastic recycling project Precious Plastic Bangkok, to collect plastic waste and host a workshop onsite to upcycle it into usable community products.

“We are excited to roll up our sleeves and give back to our communities as part of our beloved Impact Day tradition,” said Andrea Suarez, Global CEO, UM. “From picking up litter on beaches and parks in the US to providing essentials for those with disabilities in South Korea to feeding unhoused people in Greece, our community’s micro actions will drive macro results that build a better tomorrow, today.”

“At UM, we are on a constant quest to make a difference in the communities in which we live and work, and Impact Day is a meaningful part of that commitment,” said Erik Guzman, Vice President, Global Operations and Head of Better World. “We’re honored to partner with community organizations around the world that are driving genuine change through the lens of equity, sustainability and wellness.”

Impact Day launched in 2016 and expanded globally in 2018, with volunteers across 50 offices in 40 countries. Now, UM employees from over 120 offices and 50 countries will volunteer, sharing their experiences on social media using the hashtags #UMBetterWorld and #UMImpactDay.