We work hard to enable social change, globally and locally, both through the work we do and through our High5ives activities. High5ives is a platform powered by the people in Havas Lynx to drive social good and improve the lives of those within our communities.
Georgia Crichton is an Account Executive based in our London office, who recently joined Havas Lynx as part of our 2016 Graduate intake. With a background in Biomaterials Science and Tissue Engineering, Georgia is passionate about using novel communication techniques to make innovation in healthcare accessible to everyone.

Week 3.

Rewind. A week into working for Havas Lynx and my friend pinged me a message:

Laura: “Georgia, I need your help.”
Me: “Oh no, you know I’m not good at saying no.”
Laura: “Yeah, I know you won’t let me down. And you’re crazy enough to do it.”
Me: “???”
Laura: “Tough Mudder, two weeks today.”
Me: “What?!?”

I said yes.

I’m a visionary, there’s no denying it. I thought, perfect, I’m going to get rid of all that excess cheese and wine sitting on my bum from this summer and I’m going to raise money for a cause I believe in.

The extensive political turmoil and terrorism associated indoctrination has drawn a lot of attention to the importance of education for me recently. I have partaken in a lot of fundraising for children’s medical research and I have given lectures on science at school but I have never actually helped facilitate children’s education before. After talking to Laura Miller a planner based in our London office, and hearing about her experience in Rwanda last year with Havas Lynx, there was no doubt that I wanted to raise money for Born to Thrive – a charity supported by Havas Lynx and its High5ives programme. They believe that ‘Education is a right that should be enjoyed by all’ and what really mattered to me was that 100% of their donations go directly to the causes they support.

So, while writing this, I was about to announce the immensely proud achievement of having raised £330 within the space of one week for Born to Thrive. Yet, even better news landed on my desk the Monday morning after completing my challenge… (which for those of you who are unfamiliar, was a 10.5-mile obstacle course covered in mud).

The team at Havas Lynx had donated another £150 from the office Tuckbox!

What this meant was that now not only one child was going to be educated for one year, but two children!!

Nearly doubling my £250 target! Was it worth it? Absolutely, yes. Was it tough? Well, there was mud, that’s for sure.

See image>>>

But that wasn’t the tough bit. It was the bit I didn’t know was even happening. The ice. The life threatening, heart wrenching, suffocating ICE. Not only was it cold, it was heavy! My friend Laura and I had to slide down into a pool of fresh steaming ice bergs. I could not contain my hysteria.

I have never experienced anything so terrifying. My body went into utter shock. They made us swim through it before submerging ourselves under a barrier midway and pulling ourselves out of the heaps of ice, when our bodies were no longer listening to our brains!

It was petrifying but brilliant.

I am so proud of the people around me who donated what they did to send two children to school for a year, which is so utterly life defining. To my family, friends and Havas Lynx!