On October 31, 2014, the Jacobs Foundation is publishing a book entitled “Our Promise to Youth,” marking 25 years of successful work to promote child and youth development. In it, 25 prominent individuals – including Roger Federer, Jamie Oliver and Ai Weiwei – describe their own promises to youth. The work of internationally acclaimed photographers gives a face to the children and young people who have benefited from the foundation’s support. The exhibition of photographs that accompanies the book will be shown at the Jacobs Haus in Zurich as of November 1, 2014.
Zurich, October 2014 – Children and young people have enormous potential, but not all of them are given a good start in life. It is important to provide them with the best possible conditions for future success. In the conviction that it pays to invest in children and youth, the Jacobs Foundation has been working on behalf of young people for more than 25 years. This is the foundation’s guiding principle: Our Promise to Youth.
Promises to youth from 25 prominent individuals
“Our Promise to Youth” is also the title of a two-volume set that the Jacobs Foundation is publishing on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. In it, 25 prominent guest authors describe their own personal promises to young people. They provide insight into their own early years as well as advice for members of the younger generation – since they, too, owe much to those who helped them when they were young. Virtually all of the contributors – including Roger Federer, Jamie Oliver and Ai Weiwei – have one thing in common: They have long been working to promote the positive development of children and young people.
“I am deeply impressed by the many diverse activities of our guest authors in support of this cause, and I am grateful for the opportunity that this anniversary project has given us to build a network of committed individuals and institutions,” said Dr. Johann Christian Jacobs, chairman of the Jacobs Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Images of promises
In connection with the book project, seven well-known photojournalists traveled to six countries where the foundation is funding programs. They captured striking images: a youth camp on a coffee plantation in Colombia, an agricultural school in Africa and day-to-day life in a Swiss daycare center. “These photographs tell stories of the daily lives of children and young people. They provide a sense of the work carried out by the Jacobs Foundation, while also offering a model and a promise for future generations,” said Prof. Manfred Schmalriede of the Neue Schule für Fotografie (New School for Photography) in Berlin.
The photo exhibition that accompanies the book “Our Promise to Youth” will be shown at the Jacobs Haus in Zurich from November 1, 2014, until the end of the year.
The Jacobs Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary
Ever since the foundation was established by Klaus Jacobs and his family in 1989, it has worked to promote the development and education of today’s young people and those of future generations. Its goal is to enable them to become responsible members of society.
To that end, it supports innovation in research and practice, combining scientific insights with practical applications. Over the course of its 25-year history, the Jacobs Foundation has established itself as one of the world’s most important foundations in the sphere of child and youth development. It has contributed funding totaling some 500 million Swiss francs. That money has been used to invest in over 500 research projects that have produced important scientific insights, as well as to support the work of over 1,500 young scientists. In the past decade alone, the foundation’s various educational projects in Latin America and Africa have educated some 50,000 children and youth, helping to prepare them to become participating members of society. In cooperation with the Swiss Association of Child Care Centers (KibeSuisse), the foundation recently developed the “QualiKita” quality label, Switzerland’s first national standard for educational quality in child care centers. The Jacobs Foundation is currently active in 147 projects worldwide.
Information for the media
The publication “Our Promise to Youth” is available in German und English from the Jacobs Foundation and in bookstores.
Images from the book of photographs are available to members of the media in electronic form.
Address and opening hours of the photo exhibition:
Jacobs Haus
Seefeldquai 17
Zurich
Tuesdays from 6 to 11 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.