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The activist in all of us
As you read this, there’s a farmer in Terai, Nepal who knows that this much rain can only mean one thing. In Galway, Ireland, a rising rugby star is gathering the courage to say that life's pressures are too much. And in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, a 16-year-old is looking into the camera, ready to tell their story for the very first time.
What these people have in common is a need for connection – because the challenges they’re facing are not isolated. And when we see them as part of our community, we feel a shared responsibility to take action.
So what does it take to be an activist? It's the willingness to turn belief into positive action and impact. It could mean volunteering with a local charity, encouraging others to take action in their communities, or speaking to decision makers that can influence policy-level change.
There's an activist in each of us and together we can achieve far more than we ever could alone.
Individual actions can and do make real, lasting difference to the vulnerable in our society. And they create momentum for society-wide change. Early activists were not always popular or listened to, but their legacy is felt every day.Gary Shaughnessy
Chair, Z Zurich Foundation
Our purpose
Our purpose is to create brighter futures for vulnerable people.
We concentrate our efforts where vulnerabilities are the greatest and go beyond funding to close collaboration with local organizations, and proactive involvement in the programs we support.
We foster independence in the individuals and communities we serve - equipping them with the skills and resources they need to build pathways of resilience.
But we can't do it alone. By inspiring and empowering others, we can mobilize passionate individuals to become activists in their communities and beyond. Through advocacy and activism, we can shift existing systems and patterns of behavior to achieve sustainable, lasting change.
Our focus
Prevention is at the forefront of our work. Our three pillars - adapting to climate change, improving mental wellbeing, and enabling social equity, are not causes we picked at random. These increasingly urgent, complex issues have far-reaching impacts on individuals, communities and society as a whole.
We focus on helping disadvantaged communities to adapt to a changing climate. We are building a global community dedicated to improving the mental wellbeing of young people. And we are providing youth with the skills, education and resource they need to reach their full potential.
Click on any of the images below to find out how we are shaping, funding and implementing community-based solutions in each of our pillars.
Climate change
Mental wellbeing
Social equity
Meaningful change can only happen when all of us are engaged and act together for the greater good.
Our impact
We are guided by our commitment to make a real, lasting difference. In collaboration with Zurich and its employees, private and public organizations, governments and other key stakeholders, we deliver scalable, sustainable solutions that create mutual value for society.
Figures from 2021, updates from 2022 coming soon.
More than
3.7m
lives impacted
More than
599k
lives transformed
Active programs in
50+
countries
Supporting
350+
communities globally
Read our 2021 Impact Report's dedicated pages
Read the 2020 Impact Report