Change starts at home - Clé de Peau Beauté believes that everyone has a role to play in improving access to quality education, especially in the face of today's global challenges.

TOKYO, Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The past year and a half has brought on considerable change and uncertainty in the world – school-age children have been especially impacted with global lockdowns affecting their education and ability to attend school. Clé de Peau Beauté, the global luxury skincare and makeup brand, is reaffirming their commitment to advocating for education by launching a STEM-focused game to help reignite excitement for learning amongst young children. Based on the belief that the key to a more radiant future lies in unlocking the power of girls through education, in 2019 Clé de Peau Beauté began its partnership with UNICEF and launched its philanthropic initiative, 'The Power of Radiance', as a vehicle to recognize the efforts of individuals who have taken action to drive positive change in their communities through education, skills development and empowerment. This year, Clé de Peau Beauté's 'Power of Radiance' program will take the brand's global vision to a local level to galvanize change in communities around the world.

During the pandemic, more than 180 countries faced temporary school closures. According to a study conducted by UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank, pandemic related school closures and the lack of education continuity could lead to a loss of $10 trillion in labor earnings over current students' working lives ^[1]. When it comes to more near-term effects, students have faced increased anxiety about school – especially young girls. A study by UNICEF shows that COVID-19 increases psychosocial stress and mental health issues of girls, affecting their ability to learn^[2]. This year, Clé de Peau Beauté has taken inspiration from the 2021 'Power of Radiance' Award Recipient, Alyona Tkachenko, and her track record of achieving results in furthering STEM education. Tapping into Ms. Tkachenko's hands on experience with kids and what keeps them engaged with learning, Clé de Peau Beauté has created an educational tool that can be accessed in and out of the classroom to get girls excited and comfortable with STEM subjects again.

Alyona Tkachenko is recognized as the initiator of Hour of Code in Kazakhstan – bringing the program to her country to inspire students, especially girls to learn programming. "I am a firm believer that when children are having fun or enjoying themselves, they are able to learn better. STEM is often stigmatized as a subject, so I am thrilled to see that Clé de Peau Beauté is harnessing creativity and technology to help bridge that gap to excite young students," said Alyona Tkachenko. "I'm honored to have been this year's recipient of the 'Power of Radiance' award and humbled that my own experience has served as inspiration for this year's program."

"With education continuity in crisis, we are delighted to take the spirit of 'The Power of Radiance' program and create tangible, meaningful change through inspiring young girls to explore STEM subjects through play. We have seen the power of teaching STEM subjects in a fun and engaging way through Alyona's experience and success in her own community. We hope to inspire others to play their part and join us in paving a way for a more radiant and equal society," said Ms. Yukari Suzuki, Chief Brand Officer of Clé de Peau Beauté.

Events will be held by Clé de Peau Beauté's regional markets where educators, parents, and children will be invited to learn more about the importance of STEM education and explore the STEM game. This year's 'Power of Radiance' program seeks to galvanize change in local communities and inspire individual students to explore STEM subjects in a language they are familiar with: play. 

The 'Power of Radiance Awards' program grant will be funded from global sales Clé de Peau Beauté's The Serum.

For more details, please visit: https://www.cledepeau-beaute.com/int/powerofradiance-2021.html.

About Clé de Peau Beauté
Clé de Peau Beauté, the global luxury brand from Shiseido Co., Ltd., was founded in 1982 as the ultimate expression of elegance and science. Clé de Peau Beauté means the key to skin's beauty. The philosophy of the brand is to unlock the power of a woman's radiance by harnessing makeup technologies and advanced skincare from around the world. Forever guided by an exquisite aesthetic sensibility and intelligence, Clé de Peau Beauté has instilled its products with modernity, enchantment, and dynamism to emerge as an industry leader in delivering radiance so remarkable, it emanates from within. Available in 22 countries and regions worldwide.

Clé de Peau Beauté Official Website: www.cledepeau-beaute.com 
Clé de Peau Beauté Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cledepeaubeaute/   

About Alyona Tkachenko
Ms. Tkachenko became interested in STEM through studying physics and math, as well as working with tech companies early in her career. She wanted to spread awareness and expand access to STEM education in her home country so she co-founded, Love to Code, a programming training center for children. While advocating for Love to Code's mission to give every kid in Almaty and eventually in all of Kazakhstan an opportunity to learn coding, Alyona launched a social initiative called Kazakhstan's Hour of Code to bring more attention to the subject of coding and Computer Science. Since it first launched, Kazakhstan's Hour of Code program grew from 60,000 students to 350,000 by 2019. The Hour of Code program has quickly become the largest STEM initiative in Kazakhstan –introducing over 500,000 Kazakhstani girls to STEM and training more than 200 female teachers on STEM curriculum. Alyona also co-founded Nommi, a Kazakhstan-run secure connectivity startup, that provides fast LTE data for remote workers across the globe. Nommi has expanded and signed corporate agreements with some Fortune 500 Companies. She is the first female tech-founder from Central Asia to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List (2019).

[1] https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/how-could-covid-19-hinder-progress-learning-poverty-some-initial-simulations

[2] https://www.unicef.org/eap/media/7146/file/Issue_Brief%3A_Issue_Brief%3A_COVID-19_and_Girls%E2%80%99_Education_in_East_Asia_and_Pacific.pdf