What makes chess so popular to people from all walks of life is how easy it is to pick up, but also how difficult it is to master. A unique, strategic game of logic that combines elements of science, sports and art, scientists have even proved how this ancient game stimulates various types of activity in people with disabilities, particularly those on the autism spectrum, which means it’s actually much more than a game.

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“The game can help a child with autism express themselves, get in touch with the outside world, reveal abilities, logic, orderliness of thinking, facilitate adaptation to the world around them, and ensure effective adaptation in society,” explained Tatiana Gerasimova, a tutor in the chess club.

Held weekly from September to May, the children work in groups of three or four as they learn to play the game. The educational process is divided into four large blocks: getting to know the board and pieces themselves; learning about the “check” and “checkmate” concepts and the ultimate objective of the game; and finally, studying the techniques and rules of behavior during the game. From there, students can begin to think strategically about the movement of pieces across the board – striving to plan two, three and four steps ahead.

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It goes without saying that this would only have been possible with the amazing work of our teachers and the determination of students. Gerasimova stressed the importance of supporting disadvantaged children by embracing their individuality: “My main goal is to support children by helping them believe in themselves and their strengths, to cope with emotional stress and find ways out of difficult situations,” she said. “I hope to create an atmosphere of acceptance, and we do our best here to ensure children enjoy the classes without worrying about making mistakes. We adapt to the capabilities of each student, individually selecting ways to motivate them and make sure they find success.”

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The results with children have been incredible, making a real impact on their confidence, concentration and strategic thinking.

Natalia Ryzhenkova, the head of SK hynix memory solutions Eastern Europe, says:

“Most importantly, we’re seeing results. Both teachers and parents say their children are changing for the better. They’re more bold, decisive and really enjoy getting better at the game with friends. While their aggression has decreased, their attention span, strategic thinking and planning has improved which helps them learn better in other classes.”

Nataliya Popova, an experienced coach and International Master, backed the impact these classes were having up: “Soon our club will be two years old, and over these two years I’ve been lucky enough to witness so many of our students grow from this opportunity. These children better understand what they should do and can perform some tasks on their own, playing chess with each other and making conversation during break times without help. The parents are very grateful because they see their kids developing by becoming more courageous, independent, and talkative, and these improved abilities, including greater concentration, extend to life outside the club.”

SK hynix supports this project throughout the course of the school year, paying for the teachers’ work, providing supplies and materials, organizing “master classes,” as well as congratulating the children on their accomplishments with gifts and awards.

The post SK hynix Joins the Chess Craze first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Some of SK hynix’s most notable ventures supporting vulnerable communities include Happy GPS and Silver Friend. Happy GPS prevents children with developmental disabilities and elderly individuals with memory impairments from going missing, and the Silver Friend program provides AI speaker to elderlies in order to keep lonely elders company and aids in accident prevention. Both have received overwhelmingly positive feedback expressing the impact of each in overcoming the challenges within their respective communities.

However, these efforts are not the only ways SK hynix is lending a helping hand. In addition to these well-known projects, SK hynix is pursuing CSR efforts around the world to support the local communities our employees call home.

Let’s take a look at the wide variety of CSR activities introduced during the first half of this year and the diverse communities they serve.

Supporting Our Communities around the World

SK hynix America Inc.

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On June 23, 20 employees from SK hynix America and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) gathered at Second Harvest in Silicon Valley. Second Harvest, a food bank, collects grocery donations and distributes them to low-income individuals and families. Employees from both companies donated their time to sort and pack food donations for those in need.

Since last year, SK hynix has worked collaboratively in this way with major client, HPE, to actively pursue Social Values (SV). SK hynix approached HPE with the joint volunteering plan in an effort to introduce SV metrics and create social value as a part of their business relationship.

*All participants in the volunteer program had completed their COVID-19 vaccinations in advance of their participation.

Volunteer participant Edward Parsons, Senior Manager at SK hynix, stated “It’s really meaningful to lend a helping hand to those in need during the pandemic.” HPE employees also added that it “felt so rewarding to pack the food boxes and help in relieving the concerns of local families,”

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These efforts serve as a wonderful example of cooperation for social value between global companies, further building mutual trust and leading to a stronger partnership overall.

Wuxi and Chongqing subsidiaries in China

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Our Wuxi subsidiary has been running their ‘Loving Heart’ program every quarter for vulnerable communities since 2007. In the first half of this year alone, 75 people participated in several events and activities including a sports day for children with physical disabilities, the painting of murals on school walls, DIY creative projects, and visiting cultural experience centers.

Since the ‘Loving Heart’ program’s inception, a total of 4,480 employees from the Wuxi subsidiary have participated, benefiting more than 14,000 people. This is a great example of CSR demonstrates SK hynix’s commitment to working with local organizations to spread happiness throughout the community.

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On June 4, National Disability Day in China, our Chongqing subsidiary donated ¥30,000 (approximately $4,600 USD) to the city’s welfare fund supporting the handicapped community. The donation will be allocated to upgrading artificial inner ears for deaf children. The Chongqing subsidiary also made a donation in-kind of nutritional supplements and snacks to a nearby rehabilitation facility in an effort to help the patients remain motivated and focused on their rehabilitation journey.

Additionally, during Spring Festival in February, our Chongqing employees inspired their local community by organizing a gift donation for children who spend hours home alone waiting for their working parents to return.

SK hynix memory solutions Eastern Europe

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In Belarus, SK hynix memory solutions Eastern Europe has been running their ‘Wings of Happiness’ project since 2018 to help children and adolescents with developmental disabilities better adapt to societal structures and connect with their communities. The program offers various activities designed to help develop interpersonal skills including operating an art studio, putting on plays, making robots, woodwork sessions, chess club, etc.

As a part of this project, every October, one week is designated as the ‘Wings of Happiness’ holiday season. Over the past three years, each event has drawn significant attention with over 2,000 participants in total.

Doubling Our Impact with Sharing and Donations: Supporting the Community, Empowering the Youth, and Job Creation

Online Bazaar at Communications & External Affairs

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On May 21, SK hynix employees held a fiercely competitive bidding war to purchase items at an auction held by the Communications & External Affairs division.
Even though, due to the pandemic, the event was held online, more than 100 employees donated items and joined the live auction to bid on items and donate to a good cause. Some participants even donated their talents by sharing videotaped impressions of each other and partaking in entertaining performances, increasing not only the joy and excitement but the total fundraising amount as well.

The bazaar has been an annual affair since 2019, with more than 10 million won (approximately $8,700 USD) worth of donations collected each year. The proceeds are donated to SK hynix’s Happy GPS initiative to help prevent the disappearances of elderly individuals with memory disorders and children with developmental disabilities.

Support those in need with ICT

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SK hynix also operates the ‘ICT Reception Room’ based on the CSR belief that connecting humans and technology creates happiness.

An expansion of the Silver Friend AI speaker business for the independent elderly, this program offers four services: Happy Lounge, the chance to experience ICT equipment and care robots; Health Lounge, monitoring health conditions with smart health care programs and wearables; Vitality Lounge, providing various entertainment sources such as VR and AR; and Knowledge Lounge, supporting digital education and helping the elderly use kiosks and tablets easily.

Each of the four areas play an important role in preventing senior citizens from feeling isolated in our modern, digitized society by providing opportunities to familiarize themselves with ICT devices.

Fostering future talent

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SK hynix also actively supports young talent, the rising stars of our future. SK hynix’s Heinstein is a program that provides coding and software programming education to children and adolescents in the spirit of nurturing scientific talent.

Our program supports around 1,000 kids every year in taking coding classes provides in-depth education to the applicants among the competition winners in order to help them win prizes in both domestic and international coding / software contests. As of 2020, the program became available online, allowing any child to easily participate wherever they are in the world (as of 2021 the program supported more than 3,000 children.)

Employment support for socially vulnerable groups

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SK hynix’s ICT Infrastructure Eco-Business, responsible for recycling and reusing electronic waste, in cooperation with Happy ICT foundation, operates an employment support program for vulnerable communities. 40% of all members of Happy ICT belong to a vulnerable community and 34% among them identify as people with a disability. The foundation sorts reusable resources after examining old ICT devices from SK hynix, either fixing them to sell as second-hand products or donating them to those in need. Profits from these efforts are used to create even more jobs for individuals from vulnerable communities. In parallel, the program contributes to bettering the environment by recycling and encouraging more community donations.

In a similar effort, SK hynix established the Happy Bread bakery through Happy Moa. A subsidiary-type standard workplace for the disabled, Happy Bread seeks to provide job security and economic independence for its employees and members of their community. In addition, Purme-Socialfarm, our yet another socially contributing organization which establishes smart farms applying ICT technologies, seeks to employee development disabilities to help them become economically self-sufficient, and increase disability employment rate.

Although it is a difficult time around the world due to the impacts of the pandemic, SK hynix continues to share happiness with communities under the social value of coexistence.
SK hynix is committed to continue its efforts to improve and develop additional CSR activities in support of vulnerable communities around the world, empowering every individual to live a rich and rewarding life as an integrated member of society.

The post The Everyday Heroes of SK hynix: Demonstrating Our Global Commitment to Local CSR first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

In Belarus, our CSR team has organized and implemented the Wings of Happiness program, which was designed to support children with special needs in the city of Vileyka.

Community Activities in Vileyka

Every year, families, friends and communities come together across Belarus and the world to celebrate the annual holiday of Orthodox Easter. It is a day of celebration, joy and hope – and to participate in this spirit of giving and community, SKHMS Е organized a special workshop for children.

As part of our Wings of Happiness program, we invited children with special needs from a boarding school in Vileyka to join us in a special Easter activity. During the session, we invited boys and girls worked together to decorate beautiful Easter cakes with icing, gingerbread and seasonal decorations.

“Children in difficult circumstances lack love and care, lack communication with others, kind attention. Therefore, organizing interesting, useful activities for children is a great idea. Such activities help children show their talents, reveal themselves, get bright emotions, and feel included in this world.” – Ruslan Kozlov, Engineer, Design Verification, SK hynix Memory Solutions Eastern Europe

The specific textures and characteristics of these plants actually offer tactile and sensory meaning for children with psycho-physical special needs. So, we worked with the center to donate and plant them in a special adaptive playground at the school where the children spend a lot of time. Using the plants as visual and tactile aids, the children are able to communicate and play different games as well as strengthen their health and social skills.

“The Wings of Happiness charity project opened up additional opportunities for our children to socialize with the help of an inclusive playground. Being engaged in this playground, children form basic work skills, expand sensory, social, and communication experience, improve health and coordination of movements and, finally, play with friends and have fun in the fresh air.” – Svetlana Klemiachits, director of the Center of Correction and Development Training and Rehabilitation in Vileyka

In another exciting development, a theatre studio we opened in 2020 for children with special needs has just recently had its very first performance. The children did an incredible job, debuting their original rendition of “Rags and Clouds,” a musical written by the studio’s dedicated teacher. SK hynix worked to support the production and the realization of the musical from costumes down to scenery – and we couldn’t be prouder of the work the children and teachers have done.

“The theatrical performance, which took place on June 1, once again showed us that we are moving in the right direction. Our children are changing, they laugh, their eyes shine with happiness – and this is the most important thing!” – Olga Movchun, director of elementary school No. 6 in Vileyka

Finally, to close out the school year in May, SKHMS E also made gifts to these partnering organizations and held a festive workshop for children participating in our Wings of Happiness program.

SK hynix: Investing in Our Communities

At SK hynix, we understand that the lives of our employees extend beyond the walls of our company, and we are committed to investing in the local communities that sustain them outside of the office. We are grateful to be a part of our local community in Minsk and Vileyka and thank our employees and partners for working together with us so harmoniously.

“It is an honor for me to take part in one of the SKHMS Е charity events as a volunteer. It was a big party for several hundred children from all over Belarus, and each of them gave me a piece of their emotions, mood, and energy. We can’t imagine what children experience in difficult circumstances, but each of us can definitely make their childhood better, more interesting, and happier. SKHMS E makes such important social projects! And I’m really proud of it!” – Ruslan Kozlov, Engineer, Design Verification, SK hynix

The post Wings of Happiness: Supporting Community and Children in Belarus first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

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The “Loved Companies In Korea” Government Award is granted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to leading institutions with outstanding achievements in sustainable development efforts and corporate social responsibility.

With this award, SK hynix Wuxi was acknowledged as a citizen enterprise who implemented the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its Double Bottom Line (DBL) management principles, which pursue both economic value (EV) and social value (SV) simultaneously. Extra emphasis was put on the company’s sincere CSR efforts to solve social problems, particularly regarding the environment and poverty, in the region where its global business is located.
SK hynix Wuxi is carrying out various CSR projects, including 1) environmental consultation and environmental infrastructure sharing for small local businesses, 2) high quality jobs creation through the establishment of a social enterprise SK Cleaning, 3) a mobile clinic under the name “Happiness Bus.”

Large Corporations Help Small Businesses for Win-Win Cooperation

SK hynix Wuxi proposed a forward-thinking environmental consulting business to the local government and explained its business purpose to four leading global companies–Bosch, Siemens, Murata, Bridgestone–in Jiangsu Province, eventually drawing participation and cooperation for the project. In 2018, SK hynix Wuxi and these four global companies in the region provided one-on-one environmental consulting sessions to five environmentally vulnerable local companies respectively, sharing their knowledge and know-how about environmental technologies and related laws and regulations, etc. In 2019, SK hynix Wuxi expanded the business, and now twenty companies are providing consultations to about 80 local companies. It is now widely recognized as a model case for public-private collaboration projects.

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By sharing SK hynix’s know-how and vast experience in environmental management, SK hynix Wuxi has actively improved the environmental management technology of environmentally vulnerable companies, helping reduce sewage and wastewater to prevent economic damage and expand the culture of win-win cooperation among large, medium and small businesses. As a result, the environmental evaluation of once vulnerable companies has improved immensely.

This project was also selected as a best practice in the field of removing risk waste and risks associated with explosions, and led to SK hynix Wuxi receiving the China Ecological and Transparency International’s Environmental Contribution Award in 2019.

Establishment of Social Enterprise SK Cleaning

With regional issues regarding unemployment and social polarization emerging, SK hynix Wuxi established a social enterprise, SK Cleaning, in 2018. Creating about 130 jobs for the elderly, women, and the disabled, who struggled to find a job, this social initiative laid the foundation for self-reliance within socially disadvantaged groups.

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Serving for “public interest,” “sustainability” and “building infrastructure for re-employment,” SK Cleaning represents a major step forward as the first social enterprise in the region carrying out cleaning business related to SK hynix. By utilizing the resources of social organizations and companies, SK hynix is pushing for the expansion of the project that effectively links with government policies, and establishing itself as a virtuous circle model for social contribution.

Implementation of the Happiness Bus

SK hynix Wuxi provides regular health check-ups and medical services – 2~3 three times a week – for the medically-vulnerable class of the Wuxi region since 2016 by utilizing free-of- charge mobile clinic vehicles with ICT-based healthcare systems. Happiness Bus offers remote medical treatment with the help of partner hospitals and even supports a thorough examination if any abnormalities are found.

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Happiness Bus has already improved people’s livelihoods by expanding opportunities for medical examinations and care to the vulnerable, and has developed into a representative brand of public service in the region. Residents call the Happiness Bus a “healthcare service at the doorstep to ease medical concerns,” making it a case in point of enhancing corporate image by realizing social responsibility.

The Happy Umbrella Campaign

With the increasing need for a campaign that prevents accidents among elementary school students in Wuxi, where traffic accidents frequently occur, SK hynix Wuxi has distributed more than 41,000 transparent umbrellas to 26 elementary schools (including international schools, public schools, and private schools) within Wuxi since the donation ceremony in 2018. It plans to distribute more to 50,000 elementary students at 42 schools in the region by the end of 2019.

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Through in-depth consultations with the local government, the company was able to provide customized umbrellas that are easily visible during the night from afar to enhance the safety of school children, and is currently discussing future collaboration with Wuxi government to follow up this success story.

In addition, as part of its continuous environmental/safety-oriented activities, the company is leading the promotion of enhancing traffic-safety awareness among residents by providing tours of the company’s SHE (Safety, Health, Environment) experience center and safety training in collaboration with the Wuxi Fire Department.

The SK Happiness Public Interest Fund

SK hynix Wuxi established the Happiness Public Interest Fund in 2016 to take the lead in social responsibility by providing substantial support to special vulnerable groups. What’s more, together with local governments, the company continues to provide financial support and educational programs, including its SK Flash of Hope (cataract surgery support project), insurance support for people’s livelihoods, and after-school education for underprivileged youths.

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SK hynix Wuxi was awarded the Best Charity Award by the Chinese government in 2018, and the company continues to conduct various public service activities.

The post “The citizen enterprise who implements Sustainable Development Goals with its Double Bottom Line principles that simultaneously pursue economic and social values” first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.