This year, Fundación Luksic reached over 60,000 people in all regions of the country with its programs. Our teams were on the ground from north to south, visiting educational institutions, talking to students about their dreams, meeting with entrepreneurs, learning about their businesses, and celebrating their achievements, working with children in sports schools, engaging in physical activities with them, promoting values, and supporting parents and guardians in their upbringing duties.
Throughout 2023, we worked with zeal and conviction to achieve our purpose: “We are at the service of Chile. We contribute to the country’s development by strengthening people’s capabilities.” This is because at Fundación Luksic, we believe in the talent of those living in Chile, and we believe that with their abilities, they can improve their lives and contribute to the country’s growth.
Adaptability, collaboration, resilience, empathy, vision, leadership, and motivation are some of the many skills that people living in Chile possess, and we want to support them, through training, to enhance these skills and to develop different competencies that enable them to be agents of change in their lives.
Education as the Foundation
There is no doubt that education is the main formative pillar. At Fundación Luksic, we have been involved in initiatives in this area since our inception because we know that it is through education that we can enhance people’s life trajectories, both professionally and personally.
Throughout 2023, we worked to continue promoting the continuation of studies for students in technical-professional high school education (TP), because this makes a difference in terms of employability and income levels. We worked with fourth-year students through the Future Aspirations program (ASF), which identifies the main barriers faced by TP students in accessing higher education, with the aim of supporting them to make informed decisions. This year, we interviewed over 50,000 students from all regions of the country and provided them with personalized sets containing useful and practical information about careers, higher education access processes, and student benefits.
“Information should not be a barrier. Information is power; we have to give the young people of the country power over their future,” said Fernanda Orellana, Education Director, in an opinion column on Radio Bíobio regarding this program.
We also worked with teachers through the Educational Networks for Learning Improvement (REMA) program, aimed at improving language and mathematics learning for students in first and second year of over 500 technical-professional high schools.
“REMA has helped us generate basic conditions that allow us to improve the learning of students at our high school, even more so with the strategies that promote the socio-emotional well-being of us, the teachers and directors of the establishment,” commented Sergio Aravena, director of the New Horizon Technological High School in Curicó, at a seminar in December.
Furthermore, we have been present in Higher Education through the Fundación Luksic Scholars program, which promotes and facilitates access to Higher Education academic experiences that connect Chile with the world and vice versa, with the aim of contributing to Chile’s development through its people. In total, over 2,000 people have participated in the different programs, 107 of them in 2023.
Entrepreneurship as the Engine
We are convinced that entrepreneurs are an engine in our country, and we work to provide them with concrete, relevant, and tailored opportunities to increase their sales and grow their businesses.
This year, we supported over 4,000 entrepreneurs from all over Chile with our different programs: Initial Impulse, Impulso Chileno, and Despega Mujer. “We want to strongly tell the entrepreneurs of our country that we trust them, that we believe they will be able to move their businesses forward and fulfill their dreams. We have faith in them!” said Cristián Schalper, Director of Entrepreneurship, regarding the Foundation’s commitment to Chilean entrepreneurs.
“The training part of the program was really very good; it allowed me to learn about costs, cash flow, and to give the order that the business needed. If I hadn’t won Despega Mujer, our growth would have been much slower. Not only do you start a business, but a family starts one too,” says Paola González, winner of the program for women entrepreneurs, which provides financing, mentoring, training, and learning circles.
This highlights the importance of training for entrepreneurs, which is also valued by the winners of Impulso Chileno, a program that launched its sixth call for applications this year, receiving over 24,000 submissions. “Impulso Chileno was a true blessing. If it hadn’t been for the prize, I wouldn’t have set up or equipped my premises, nor employed more women. The academic support provided by the program marks a before and after, and I also received wonderful mentoring that guided and organized my business,” commented Claudia Rodríguez, winner of Impulso Chileno IV.
Sports as the Platform
We believe in sports as a platform to promote physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional health of people and strengthen social cohesion. In this area, we seek to support the development of different skills and healthy lifestyle habits in children, adolescents, young people, and adults.
“Sports constitute a tremendous platform for developing protective components, and its benefits can be maximized and generate long-term effects by accompanying sports practice with comprehensive interventions that promote the development of skills and competencies in those who practice sports, and involve their family or close circle,” explains Macarena Cea, Director of Evaluation and Development at Fundación Luksic.
Fundación Luksic’s schools not only provide physical training for children but also offer workshops on positive parenting to support guardians in their parenting role. Evidence indicates that positive parenting promotes higher self-esteem, better problem-solving skills, and greater capacity to establish relationships in children and adolescents. “At Fundación Luksic, we consider sports activities as a bridge that allows us to promote a healthy lifestyle in people, both physically and emotionally,” commented Rosario Donoso, Director of the Sports Area at Fundación Luksic.
This is what we have been doing throughout 2023 by continuing our sports schools. During this year, more than a thousand boys and girls have participated in Fundación Luksic’s football and hockey training sessions across our 19 schools.
Contributing to the country as a principle
In addition to the defined areas in which we work, we are always attentive and connected to the different realities of Chile. That’s why, in response to the causes and emergencies that mobilize the country, we make ourselves available to institutions, communities, and individuals in need of support to provide specific and relevant contributions.
Since 2014, the Luksic family has supported the construction and implementation of the Teletón Institute in Antofagasta, and in 2023, they committed to funding the operation of this center once again.
Additionally, this year, our country was heavily affected by wildfires during the summer. In this context, the Luksic family coordinated the arrival of the Aerotanker, one of the most versatile firefighting aircraft, to Chile. The aircraft was in the country fighting fires for 29 days. In response to this emergency, the Foundation also provided 53 back-to-school kits and rebuilt the Santa Juana Rural Medical Station, which was delivered in a record time of four months and will benefit 7,000 patients from the municipality and surrounding areas.
During the winter, different frontal systems affected regions of Chile, causing severe flooding in several communities. Fundación Luksic, along with Fundación Te Apoyamos, provided hygiene kits and mattresses to affected families in six locations. Additionally, Fundación Luksic, together with Desafío Levantemos Chile, committed to rebuilding the Aynhue Kindergarten in Coltauco, benefiting 50 children and their families.
The commitment to Chile is a permanent principle of the Foundation and the Luksic family. We want to continue on the path of education because we believe it is the best way we can contribute to individuals and the country. We will continue to work rigorously, evaluating our programs and initiatives, hoping they have the greatest impact, and being willing to improve them as many times as necessary.
“We seek to ensure the quality of all the programs and initiatives in which we participate, along with efficient and close delivery. We work to develop effective solutions that respond to identified challenges, have significant reach, and ideally can be amplified. In 2024, we will continue to work with passion, energy, and responsibility to continue delivering a quality service throughout Chile,” commented Isabella Luksic, General Manager of Fundación Luksic.
