Mercedes 2003 Annual Report Download - page 81
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Sparking curiosity, promoting ideas, implementing solutions.
With its innovative solutions, DaimlerChrysler is continuously
driving automotive technology forward. We regard it as important
to enthuse young people with the creative power of research
and technology, and to stimulate ideas for promoting interaction
between people and nature.
In order to get more women interested in technical and scientific
professions, for example, DaimlerChrysler regularly invites female
students from grades five to twelve to a Technology Day that is
now held at nine different locations in Germany. In addition, the
company supports female college students with its femtec work-
study program.
At our annual Prospects Forum, which we organize in cooperation
with “Jugend forscht” (Youth research), we give young people the
opportunity to establish international contacts and exchange ideas
with experts in politics, science and industry.
A good example of how we promote the transfer of ideas and
engage in development is the POEMA project, on which we have
been cooperating for the past ten years with several environmental
organizations, local residents, and the Federal University of Pará
(UFPA) in Belém, Brazil. By using natural fibers in the production of
DaimlerChrysler vehicles the conditions are created both for
regeneration of the rainforest and the creation of additional income
for the region’s inhabitants. (See pages 72-73)
Assuming responsibility for humanitarian concerns. As a
responsible member of society, we also serve as a reliable and
trusted partner for dealing with various social concerns, both
at individual business locations and in the global community as a
whole.
One example is the TRACECA project (Transport Corridor Europe
Caucasus Asia), an initiative of the European Union, which was
conceived to promote the free exchange of goods between Europe
and Asia by reviving the old “Silk Road” trading route. Within the
context of this EU project, on September 7, 2003, DaimlerChrysler
sent ten Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks from Brussels to Kabul
loaded with more than 200 tons of goods as aid for the people of
Afghanistan.
Also in collaboration with the Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung
(German World Population Foundation), DaimlerChrysler is
supporting a self-help and AIDS information project for young
people in Uganda.
In addition, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund supports
numerous North American charitable and aid organizations,
including a bone marrow donation program in the United States
and the “Good Neighbor, Good Citizen” project.
Creating ties through intercultural exchange. Because we
are a global company, it is important that people who speak
different languages or come from different backgrounds and
cultures should be able to interact with one another in an
open and relaxed manner. DaimlerChrysler therefore assigns
a high priority to ensuring cultural interaction.
Mondialogo is one such initiative. Launched by DaimlerChrysler in
cooperation with UNESCO in October 2003, it consists of three
elements. Firstly, a worldwide school contest (Mondialogo School
Contest) in which schools are encouraged to establish worldwide
partnerships for the joint development of creative projects. Sec-
ondly, the Mondialogo Engineering Award for young engineers that
is designed to encourage students from both industrialized and
developing countries to jointly develop ideas for solving technologi-
cal problems in the developing world. Thirdly, an online discussion
forum linked to the two contests as well as on current topics related
to intercultural exchange (www.mondialogo.org).
In addition to these activities, DaimlerChrysler is promoting cultural
exchange by sending a significant part of its art collection on a
global tour from 2003 to 2006. Called “80 artists from more than
60 years”, the exhibition will be shown at major museums and
art galleries in Germany, the United States, South Africa and Asia.
The exhibition will be supported by a range of programs designed
to make works of art more accessible to the underprivileged.
The TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia) relief convoy with 10 Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks on their way to Afghanistan