UNIQLO leaders met with Plan USA’s youth advocates
Mar 08, 2024
SUSTAINABILITY
To honor their work in the U.S. on this International Women’s Day, UNIQLO hosted three Plan USA youth advocates, Ava, Karen, and Lily, in a multi-generational “roundtable” with two of UNIQLO’s leaders, Sheneque and Michelle. The roughly two-hour conversation addressed UNIQLO’s Manager Candidate Program (UMC), a training program in our U.S. stores to develop new employees into talented, high-potential manager candidates. The youth advocates provided feedback and their individual views on different topics, including sharing their mentorship experiences and getting career advice from women leaders.
Michelle Le, Lead University Recruiter, spoke about the experience: “As a university recruiter who interacts with students almost every day, my interaction with the Plan USA Youth was inspiring! I was in awe the entire time, and it was inspiring and insightful to see how these driven young women take significant action in their communities. I can’t wait to continue following their journeys and successes ahead!”
Sheneque Alexander, Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Fast Retailing, said: “Participating in discussions with the powerful women of Plan USA was a real honor. Their profiles spoke volumes about their relentless dedication to their communities, leaving me genuinely amazed. The work they've achieved, even before finishing college, is nothing short of remarkable. It was a fulfilling experience to engage with them on a substantial level, providing guidance and support. I earnestly hope the insights I shared will further mold their already bright future, adding an extra sparkle.”
To celebrate the launch of new Peace for All designs on March 15, all participants had a special photoshoot to promote their desire for a more just world and to help raise awareness and more funds.
“What really excites me about UNIQLO, in particular, is their devotion to equity and sustainability that we saw with their RE.UNIQLO program where they recycle clothing, which is really important to me.”
Ava is an undergraduate at Columbia University studying applied math and economics. Ava joined Plan USA’s Youth Advisory Board in 2021 after attending Plan’s 2021 Youth Leadership Academy. She is most interested in empowering women in STEM fields and working to advance sexual and reproductive health rights.
Karen is a sixteen-year-old junior at a high school in New Jersey. She serves as a Youth Advisor at the Joy+Justice National Collaborative, funds key organizations, conducts social science research, and is planning a statewide summit to empower young advocates in her state. Looking ahead, Karen envisions working alongside global organizations and world leaders to serve marginalized .
“I had a fantastic time and learned so many valuable life lessons and advice for my leadership project. I loved learning about how companies can combat social justice issues like sustainability.”
Lily is a freshman in high school at an all-girls school in NYC. She is interested in good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, leadership, management, and investing. Her leadership project for Plan USA’s Youth Leadership Academy will focus on creating educational workshops and webinars about female empowerment through owning your own body as it relates to contraceptives and providing access to the pill and the morning-after pill.
About Plan International
Plan International advances children's rights and equality for girls in more than 80 countries globally. In the U.S., Plan USA focuses on a yearlong leadership program – Youth Leadership Academy –dedicated to training, supporting, and mentoring young activists as they create change in their communities through projects connected to the U.N. sustainable development goals.
Through the Peace for All program, donations to Plan International, through their respective representatives in Japan, go toward protecting girls and young women from harmful practices like child marriage, early marriage, and forced marriage and toward realizing a world where girls are respected rather than exploited and can make their own decisions about their lives. Projects concerning eliminating child-early and forced marriage are going to be implemented in Vietnam by Plan International.
About Peace for All
Since June 2022, UNIQLO launched an ongoing collection of t-shirts with all profits donated to international organizations*, including Plan International Inc., UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Save the Children, to support victims of poverty, discrimination, violence, conflict, and war.
*UNIQLO parent company Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. will donate an amount equivalent to all profits (no less than 20% of the selling price) equally among UNHCR, Save the Children Japan, and Plan International Inc. This sales promotion is conducted by Fast Retailing, a parent company of UNIQLO Japan.
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