DaimlerChrysler Financial Services supports the establishment of the “StreetUniverCity Berlin”

Berlin – The “StreetUniverCity Berlin” (SUB) is soon to be opened in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. The aim of this independent educational facility is to offer young people out-of-school education in socially disadvantaged areas. Employees of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, the global financial service provider headquartered at Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz, are playing a key role in this connection. Activities were kicked off by a “Day of Caring” on June 21, 2007, when classrooms were renovated in the “Naunyn Ritze” youth and cultural center.

DaimlerChrysler Financial Services will then become a long-term partner by contributing its “Kompass” project to the seminar program of the SUB. “Kompass” is a specially designed workshop that focuses on personal learning, teamwork and financial literacy. Employees of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services will be on hand to offer advice and to teach units of the course.

This is the second time that the financial services provider has been involved in the “Day of Caring,” a social project that offers young people in Berlin new perspectives. During the first “Day of Caring” in November 2006, activities focused on the Wrangelkiez area of Kreuzberg.

“Social responsibility means much more to us than just financial support,” says Jürgen Walker, Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services. “Our Day of Caring is all about donating time, work and know-how.” The company gives its employees half a day off from work so that they can take part in the program; the employees themselves contribute the second half-day. “This way, the company and each employee is making an individual contribution to a good cause,” says Walker.

The classrooms at the “Naunyn Ritze” center need to be renovated and redesigned so that the StreetUniverCity Berlin can be opened there. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is covering the costs of materials and labor. The work is being carried out by company employees.

The SUB is an independent educational institute that initiates and coordinates measures supporting career-oriented vocational education and training in socially disadvantaged areas of Berlin. It aims to help young people to get their working lives off to a successful start, to boost their confidence and to open up new prospects for their future. Plans call for wide range of courses to be offered in the near future at the “Naunyn Ritze” youth and cultural center in Kreuzberg.

DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is extensively involved in various educational and cultural projects around the world with the aim of opening up new perspectives for people. Social responsibility is one of the Core Values of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services.