Kiwis in partnership with group - youth to benefit

Kiwis secure partnership with global XL Group to launch business franchises’ in New Zealand - Kiwi Youth to Benefit

Auckland, New Zealand, 23 February 2007: Two Kiwi organizations have secured international support for their businesses. New Zealanders Justyn Barakat and Adeline Long have received backing from international company the XL Group, to launch their XL Café - Global Business Cafés’ and XL Preschool initiatives in Auckland on the 5th March 2007. Roger Hamilton, a leading entrepreneur from Singapore and Chairman of XL Group, will be attending the openings.

XL, which provides training, development and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, has assisted Aucklanders Justyn Barakat with his XL Café initiative and Adeline Long, NZ partner of XL Preschool, with the set up in New Zealand of the XL Preschool franchise. While XL is focused on assisting entrepreneurs like Justyn Barakat and Adeline Long, it also has a strong focus on charity with an ultimate vision for the year 2020. Called ‘XL 2020’, it is a challenge initiated by XL to have 25,000 companies participating in the XL SEA (Social Enterprise Accreditation) Program by the year 2020 and donating US$100 million (NZ$146 million) each year to nominated charitable causes.

General Manager of XL Café, Justyn Barakat, has taken up this challenge. At a time when NZ is reeling from the dismal news relayed by UNICEF that it is one of the worst places in the OECD to bring up children, Justyn is committed to assisting in the development of young people. He is using his XL Café as a financial vehicle that will raise the necessary capital to support his social vision “Bright futures for young peoples”. XL Café will be supporting a nominated charity that will be announced at the café opening on 5th March.

Justyn commented:

“Initiatives that support young people and work toward deferring them from a life of criminal activity to a life of positive options and ultimately result in bright futures for themselves and their children are something that we are in favour of”.

Additional locations for XL Cafes have already been identified in New Zealand and Singapore. XL Café provides business people with a professional ‘space’ and business tools to conduct business globally. In addition, the XL Preschool offers a unique mix of Eastern and Western philosophies that will provide a truly multicultural centre residing in Papakura that supports the vision to develop unity through diversity.

The XL Preschool program aims to ‘nurture extraordinary lives’ and has been developed with the belief that early childhood should be a time of fun, creativity, exploration and discovery. The Preschool will also announce its nominated charity on the 5th March.

Ms Sony Vasandani, who manages three preschools in Jakarta, Indonesia and is spearheading XL’s Preschool development program said: “New Zealand is the ideal location for XL to open its first preschool. A country that places the highest value on the education of its youth, as well as having such vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, will surely set the standards for future XL Preschools both in New Zealand and further afield”.

XL Café and XL Preschool will be launched on the 5th March in Symonds Street and Papakura respectively. Roger Hamilton, Chairman of XL Group, will be attending both openings.

ENDS

© Scoop Media