Our local impact | London Business School

Educating and Raising Aspirations

“I would definitely recommend the lectures to other students and friends as it’s an amazing opportunity that would definitely help you in future.”

Asa Martinsen, Year 12 Student

The Youth Enrichment Programme (YEP) is a community engagement initiative designed to improve the life chances of 16-17-year-olds from London-based state schools, by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and self-belief to succeed. It was launched in 2014, with a series of faculty-led “guru” lectures teaching life skills grounded in research. Ten years later, the programme was expanded with the introduction of “The Power of You”, aimed at cultivating leadership skills in girls aged 16-17 years.

LBS partners with academies and schools where a high percentage of the students are eligible for the Pupil Premium: Harris Academy St John's Wood, Westminster Academy, Paddington Academy, King Solomon Academy, Central Foundation Boys’ School and La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School.

To date, more than 600 students have participated.

Sharing Expertise

“The level of ownership and responsibility that the pro-bono project gave me has definitely made it stand out as one of the milestones in my MBA journey.”

Oindrilla Chakraborty MBA2021

Volunteering in the Community

“It may perhaps have seemed a small gesture to an outsider, but for my children to both get a present was a real treat for them.”

Anon (single mother of two)

There is a considerable appetite for volunteering at London Business School. The Student Volunteering Club and Impact Consulting Club are particularly active and staff members can take up to five days per year to volunteer, subject to line management approval.

Since 2009, volunteering has been gathering greater momentum. LBS volunteers have been steadily building partnerships with local organisations, schools and charities to support and create initiatives that add social value, particularly in areas of pronounced poverty and inequality.

The Community Toy Drive was London Business School’s first-ever School-wide community initiative launched in 2009. In the run-up to Christmas, the LBS community donates hundreds of toys to local children and hosts a party on campus. To date over 6,500 toys have been donated.

LBS4London

“This has been for sure one of the highlights of my MBA. One of the topics that has always caught my attention is social impact and the responsibility we all have to give back to the community and contribute to improving people’s lives.”

Vicente Miranda MBA2024.

Team volunteering

"This was the best team away day I’ve ever experienced at LBS! Immersed in nature, it was inclusive as it combined different activities that ranged in intensity and diversity. It was also totally engaging as we used very different parts of our minds and bodies (yes, we did a lot of digging, cleaning ponds with thigh high boots and more!) so no thinking about work.”

Helen Kerkentzes, Associate Dean

In June 2024, 70 Executive Education colleagues provided over 400 hours of volunteering support to a conservation project at Stave Hill Ecology Park, in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers.
Stave Hill Ecology Park relies on volunteers to support the vital creation and upkeep of conservation projects which have enriched the biodiversity of the park with 180 varieties of fungi, 9 species of snails, and a flourishing stag beetle population. The park also offers a valuable green space for residents to walk and exercise, contributing to the physical and mental well-being of the community.

Mentoring

“Every new experience has taught me something new about myself and about the world around us. Volunteering is a way to pay it forward and, in an age full of hardship and inequality, make the world a slightly better place.”

Nina Clifton, Lead Data Analyst and Volunteer.