CSSG is a registered and recognised charity in both the United Kingdom and India.
At CSSG, we have four levels of management in place, the Board, the Advisory Committee, Strategic Advisers and Facilitation Partners.
The Board takes on our day to day running, while the Advisory Committee’s role consists of undertaking a guiding role, giving support by way of intellectual currency, time, and social capital.
The Board is comprised of:
– AnandKapoor (President)
– AditiKapoor (Vice President)
– ChhaviChadha (Treasurer)
– Irene Simon (Secretary)
– Anamika Singh (Board Member)
– PitmaberSahni (Board Member)
– Avanti Mathur (Board Member)
– Shreya Shah (Board Member)
– RuchiSibal (Honorary Board Member)
The advisory committee consists of :
– Peter D’Ascoli
– HemantSagar
– Seema Chandra
– Manish Mehrotra
– RenuModi
Strategic Advisors:
– William Eger(USA)
– Alexandra Hotter (AUSTRIA)
– Andrew Sills (UK)
See About Us for more information
Strategic Partners
Rainbow Homes (IND)
A New Direction (UK)
Tante Marie (UK)
Goenka ???? (IND)
Unite 4: Good (IND / USA)
Sheroes (IND)
See Partners for more information
Yes we have regular audits conducted by D.R.Anthwal and Associates. The annual management accounts are prepared by Bhatt Anil & Associates who also prepare the Indian Government tax returns and the submitted year end audited accounts for CSSG. Furthermore CSSG also has an independent external financial advisor who ensures international protocol is met.
100% of our donations and resources raised through events are strictly used for the support of the young men and women in our charity’s care. As of now, we are a small non-profit with all labour (and space) volunteered so we have very low overhead costs. For example, the funds that will be raised at the 2015 Year of Woman Summit will go towards funding a Hospitality Course for thirty individuals as well as various other planned initiatives. Previous funds have gone to support the young men and women during their mentorships.
Creative Services Support Group has been running for three years with a surplus of funds at the end of each financial year. The surplus funds (deemed unrestricted funds) are used for the charity’s specific aims and objectives.
The last three years has seen financial growth as relationships with the major funders and donors has been developed. Operating successful for three years with a balance of funds will allow the charity to apply for overseas grant funding which is vital to the successful development of CSSG. In addition to building relationships with its donors, the fundraising events have enabled the charity to gain public awareness and grow its international branding.
See CSSG Stories for more information
In 2015, the focus will be on Women in the Creative Sectors, aiming to give young women from underprivileged backgrounds a voice and opportunity. Building on the foundations of 2014, we will also start running a three month hospitality course for thirty individuals. Associated with 2015’s theme there will be other outreach initiatives relevant to gender and the creative sectors.
See Feeding Hearts for more information
This approach has proven to be successful, as it creates opportunities to build networks and raise awareness whilst simultaneously generating money for the charity. Creating memorable events and having people enjoy themselves also brings in more ‘good-will’ and increases donations long term.
These organisations are very focused on preparing youth to master a narrow skill set. We seek to go above and beyond this, we are trying to explain not just the technical knowledge but a creative understanding to rethink, reinvent, and reimagine their career potential/ opportunities. This commitment to a broader knowledge base is what separates and defines us from the rest.
CSSG commissioned an independent study to explore this in depth question.
Download Independent Study for more information
India has a vast population of young people, withmore than half of its population of 1.2 billion younger than 25. Each month, 1 million young Indians enter the workforce – a pattern that will continue for the next two decades. The end result is that the government estimates that 500 million young people must be trained by 2022.
In order to address this population surge, larger companies such as Hindustan Unilever and Tata are running what are effectively in-house universities for preparing new recruits.Tata’s special campus in south India trains around 9,000 recruits at a time, for an average of 10 weeks.
AmritDhillon, a Delhi based journalist, argues that “Academic courses are misaligned with the needs of the marketplace, and turn out students who are good at memorizing information but poor on critical thinking and comprehension.”
We aim to correct that.
CSSG commissioned an independent study to explore this in depth question.
Download Independent Study for more information
Furthermore, creativity has been proven to be a source of growth — growing at an impressive 14% annually between 2002 and 2008, all while it’s employees enjoyed greater job security and earnings. Richard Florida, an American urban-studies theorist, adds that “Not only do creative workers earn much more, on average, than the large number of people who do low-end service work or rote manufacturing; they also get to do more enjoyable work and they contribute more by adding creative value.”
A2010 UN report argues that, especially in developing countries, the creative economy fundamentally adds to growth and prosperity: “Adequately nurtured, creativity fuels culture, infuses a human-centered development and constitutes the key ingredient for job creation, innovation and trade while contributing to social inclusion, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability.”
Lastly, employment in the creative sectors typically requires less financial investment in formal academia. Training be done on the job whilst simultaneously making an instant contribution to employers, making the creative sectors more accessible for the underprivileged.
Download Independent Study for more information
There is no doubt that there is a shortage of employable workers in India. According to the 2011 Talent Shortage Survey by Manpower, a human resources company, nearly 70 percent of Indian employers had trouble hiring staff members. Simultaneously, according to the International Labor Organization, many youth “leave school or university without skills that are demanded by employers.”
According to the 2011 Manpower survey, nearly 47 per cent of graduates were not employable in any sector, given their insufficient English language and analytically skills. The culprit, it found, is the traditional teaching approach of rote memorization, which is still quite common throughout the Indian education system.
CSSG commissioned an independent study to explore this in depth question.
Download Independent Study for more information
See Our Approach for more information