Building trust as mentors

Image of Ebaa Mohamed together with her mentor Maria Andersson and SEB's President and CEO Johan Torgeby. — “Wanted: a mentor with a cool job who can teach me about entrepreneurship." – this is roughly what Ebaa Mohamed (middle) wrote when she in the spring of 2017 filled out an application to get a mentor. “I did not really know what it would mean, but thought – why not? And it has really opened new doors and helped me develop outside my comfort zone", says Ebaa. Here with mentor Maria Andersson and SEB's President and CEO Johan Torgeby.

Since 1997, SEB has partnered with Mentor Sverige, a foundation focusing on drug prevention among youth, aiming to create relationships and build trust between young people and adults.

SEB employees are involved as mentors – either individually for one young person, in school classes on several occasions, or for just one day at a school. Students get to visit SEB’s offices, to get a glimpse of how it might be to work in a bank. Through Mentor Sverige, our employees are given the opportunity to contribute to society, while developing themselves and their own leadership.

In 2018, SEB and Mentor Sverige launched two new programmes: SEB Inclusion and Proffsmentor Entreprenörskap. SEB Inclusion teaches young people how to work against prejudice and create a more inclusive society for all. Proffsmentor Entreprenörskap shows young people how to turn an idea into a company or employment. Every year, more than 20,000 young people participate in Mentor Sverige's various programmes. Our partnership with Mentor Sverige is part of our work with sustainable entrepreneurship.

Private individuals can support Mentor Sverige financially or by doing volunteer work – or both.