“Strong Steps” for our children from AS Steel, which strengthens the structures
World Cerebral We strengthened our children’s strength on Palsy Day!
Cerebral for AS Steel How important is Palsy ? What kind of sensitivity lies behind your support for this project ?
AS Steel Chairman of the Board Erkan Sezer: As AS Steel, while creating value for our country and our customers; we are trying to continue our activities in a way that will contribute to the welfare of the society we live in and prioritize the needs of future generations. From this point of view, we think that every individual should be “earned” for a healthy and productive society. It is very important for us to provide equality of opportunity, we work to respect differences and ethical values, and to ensure that everyone has equal rights and freedoms.
cerebral Palsy is a disease that affects 17 million people worldwide. cerebral Palsy is a disease that completely changes the quality of life in that patients are more prone to various physical and social problems than other disabled people. However, the quality of life of patients can be improved with diagnosis and intensive rehabilitation. In this context, we participate in activities that aim to create a new life opportunity for children who have the opportunity to improve their quality of life thanks to physical therapy, together with our AS Steel employees and volunteers.
This year, we have 25 volunteers in the company. Within the scope of this social responsibility project, realized with the wholehearted support of our employees, we collect donations through various activities held in our campuses throughout September and October. Our stakeholders also support the project. Thanks to this cooperation, we have created a wide awareness both within our company and among our stakeholders. cerebral While collecting donations for the rehabilitation of children with Palsy , we also added more activity to our working life. While an office worker takes an average of 3 thousand steps a day, our target is a minimum of 10 thousand steps.
Cerebral Can you share with us the known misconceptions about Palsy ?
ES: Every Cerebral The child with palsy is not mentally retarded. cerebral Palsy is the most common type of physical disability in childhood. However, depending on the area of the brain affected, Cerebral Mental developmental delay is also observed in half of the children with palsy . However, this is Cerebral It does not prevent a child with palsy from getting an education. They can be included in inclusive education with their peers. cerebral Young people with Palsy can also participate in business life and maintain their lives.
How is the sensitivity of the society on this issue? What kind of problems do you encounter most in integrating individuals into society ? What are the elements that we need to focus on more?
ES: We need to pay more attention to awareness raising activities. Steptember is both a fundraiser for treatments and a community-wide Cerebral It is a very important project in terms of drawing attention to Palsy and creating social awareness. When people get the right information about the subject, their sensitivity increases. It should be emphasized that the quality of life of individuals can be increased with early diagnosis and physical therapy. More importantly, it should be emphasized that all our children have the right to go to school, play games and take part in society. In this sense, we, as companies, must do our part to integrate individuals into society by cooperating with NGOs.
ES: Cerebral Palsy is a condition of physical disability that is sadly little known in the community. One of the biggest problems experienced is accessibility; Problems such as uneven ground and paving stones, inadequacy of ramps, inadequacy of disabled public transport It is one of the issues that complicate the social lives of individuals with palsy . In addition, Cerebral Problems such as visual impairment, hearing problems, speech difficulties, attention and perception disorders of people with palsy can also negatively affect their social adaptation. As individuals, we can at least exhibit behaviors that will increase their social cohesion. Even the change in our view of a disabled child and his family makes them feel more comfortable in social environments and not be discriminated against.
Why do you think brands should undersign works that benefit society? And how can brands maximize their benefit to society ?
ES: The basis of being successful in corporate social responsibility projects, as in every other subject, is to build a sustainable system. It is not a choice but a necessity for the institutions to be sensitive to social problems and to cooperate with public institutions and NGOs working in this sense to focus on social responsibility projects with the aim of reaching wider masses and increasing the impact of the projects.
As AS Steel, we work with the goal of creating sustainable value for all our stakeholders and with the understanding of corporate citizenship. We carry out social responsibility activities in many fields such as education, health, culture-arts and sports. I think that one of the most important benefits of corporate social responsibility projects is that companies can create value and benefit with their stakeholders in the environments in which they operate. These supports are the most important condition for creating a strong society, and only strong companies and a strong economy can be in a strong society.
