Boys & Girls Clubs of America Teams Up with The Equity Collective to Empower Next Generation of Diverse Financial Leaders

Partnership will enhance job readiness and career exploration for young people, demystifying financial service career opportunities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion.

ATLANTA, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boys & Girls Clubs of America today announced the official launch of its collaboration with The Equity Collective, a group of 27 asset management firms spearheaded by Morgan Stanley who are committed to reaching motivated youth where they are, demystifying diversity-related barriers in the financial service industry.

Together, the youth non-profit will work with The Equity Collective to increase career exploration and job readiness skills in Club youth, with a special focus on introducing diverse students to careers in finance.

In addition to their support of CareerLaunch, a job-readiness program within Boys & Girls Clubs, The Equity Collective employees will meet, mentor and work with youth in local Clubs, helping them to prepare for a successful career.

"We are thrilled to work with The Equity Collective to empower teens to consider a future in financial services and to break down any diversity-related barriers that may come with that," says H Walker, DEI & Leadership Development Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Collaborations like this are vital to strengthening our organization's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as an integral part of helping young people to achieve great futures." 

A Mercer study shows that Black and Latino students develop an interest in working in finance during high school while Caucasian students often decide on career paths in college. For that reason, The Equity Collective was established to generate awareness and interest in the industry sooner in these young people. Additionally, according to surveys administered to more than 1,800 Club youth, the number one thing our teens say they need — that will keep them coming back to their Club everyday — is for their local Club to prepare them for a career and provide the skills and resources, as well as a plan, needed to secure a first job.

"We are focused on impacting the future of our industry in a meaningful way," says Andy Saperstein, Co-President of Morgan Stanley and Head of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. "The Equity Collective is committed to investing early in American youth communities, focusing our efforts on increasing the pool of interested youth who want to consider a financial career."

To learn more about the impact of this work, visit http://www.bgca.org/about-us/our-partners/the-equity-collective.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. More than 4,700 Clubs serve over 4.3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Equity Collective
The Equity Collective is an industry-leading group of wealth and asset management businesses that have come together to empower and provide educational resources focused on the finance industry for the next generation. It is composed of 27 members, and senior leaders from each organization are participating in education and awareness initiatives over a multi-year commitment that will support Club kids across the nation.

Members include:

• American Century Investments
• BlackRock
• BNY Mellon Investment Management
• Capital Group/American Funds
• Columbia Threadneedle Investments
• Diffractive Managers Group
• DWS
• First Eagle Investment Management
• Franklin Templeton
• FS Investments
• Goldman Sachs Asset Management
• Hartford Funds
• Invesco
• Janus Henderson Investors
• John Hancock Investment Management
• Lazard Asset Management
• Macquarie Asset Management
• Morgan Stanley (spearheading member)
• Natixis Investment Managers
• New York Life Investments
• Nuveen
• PGIM Investments
• PIMCO
• Putnam Investments
• Touchstone Investments/Fort Washington
• T. Rowe Price 
• Virtus Investment Partners

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America