Social responsibility is a trendy term, which refers to the social duty undertaken by an organization that beyond its own goals , so as to benefit social development. It relates to three questions: Why it is necessary to perform social responsibility? Who should perform it? And how to perform it?
It seems both plausible on whether one should take social responsibility or not, no matter from the perspective of egoism and altruism in Ethics, or from the perspective of stakeholders theory and mainstream enterprise theory in Management. A corporation has every reason to seek profits and a country has every right to promote heavy industry for the benefit of economic development and its national interests, but regardless of their choices, there are always naysayers from the public and initiatives proposed by international organizations to safeguard this blue planet. As residents of a community, citizens of a country and global citizens of the earth, we may be not under pressure to take the duty. However, it is inevitable to do something more than the compulsory duties in order to protect the land and its people on it, and therefore achieve the sustainable development.
Who should perform social responsibilities? It is indeed not only the government’s deal but the whole civil society’s. During the earthquakes in Sichuan province, China in the year of 2008, 2013 and 2018, and the outbreak of novel coronavirus in the early 2020, we have spotted the contributions made by all actors, among which enterprises are the most well-known. In fact, civil society organizations like non-governmental organizations(NGOs), foundations, chambers of commerce, alumni associations, voluntary groups and even individuals are the practitioners of social responsibility. They truly are.
And so are we.
SRP (Social Responsibility Practitioners) is a platform set up by youths across the world, who concern about the practice of social responsibility and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in China. We want to increase the awareness of social responsibility, record the stories of individuals, civil society organizations and companies who take social responsibilities, create a network for information exchange and cooperation among all the practitioners and promote China’s implementation of SDGs.
Our features:
Non-Profit
- All the SRP work team members are volunteers, who joined the organization with the main goal of “making a difference”.
- We record stories about public welfares in the area of social responsibility
International and Diversified
- We create a multicultural cooperative environment, with work team members from various countries – including China, Italy, Nepal, who have international academic backgrounds
- Our interviewees come from civil society organizations, enterprises, and voluntary groups around the world.
- Our official accounts are set up on social media platforms which focusing on audience from different countries – such as WeChat, Instagram, Facebook, WordPress.
Youthful
- 90% of our team members are undergraduate and graduate students from various prestigious institutions around the world.
Our activities:
- Stories – reach out with people from civil society organizations, companies and voluntary groups who committed to social responsibility, record their actions in the form of articles, and publish them on our platform and other well-known media platforms.
- SRP Network – connect practitioners in the field of social responsibility, building a platform for exchange and cooperation in China, and promoting international cooperation between Chinese and overseas social responsibility practitioners.
- Discussions and lectures – senior practitioners (such as NGOs, foundation staff), experts and scholars in the field of social responsibility are invited to give online / offline lectures, webinars and talks. Audiences from different countries are invited to actively participate in the discussion.
- Youth Social Responsibility Incubator – young people who are eager to make a practice in the field of social responsibility can submit their plans, and senior practitioners and experts will provide professional guidance and help. Make ideas come true through incubators!
We have witnessed various voluntary groups emerged from all walks of life during the outbreak of coronavirus: students like us called for more youth to engage in fundraising，NGOs provided professional rescues in mature operating mode and well-capitalized enterprises delivered medical supplies to virus-struck province with the help of leading comprehensive goods and materials companies around the world. They have shown their quick response in the face of disaster and their devotion to the well-being of society.
We hope that with the efforts of youths, we are able to promote the implementation of the SDGs by strengthening communication and cooperation among all parties and raising awareness of social responsibility for all.
So how to take social responsibilities? This is a question for those who are currently doing it. Now SRP is looking for more practitioners to join us.
If you want to cooperate with social responsibility practitioners from China and other countries…
If you have any question, please feel free to contact us via contact@srpinternational.org
Social Responsibility Practitioners 