600 children from CODE Kids programming clubs organized in public libraries around the country are, starting today, students of Green School of the Future program, following a partnership between Vodafone Romania Foundation and Progress Foundation.
The program is designed for 6-10 years old and 10-14 years old age groups and aims to guide children in the improvement of their digital skills through seven weeks of activities available on the web content platform School of the Future, by participating in the online courses introducing children to Scratch educational app organized by Progress Foundation, through debates on climate change topics in which they learn what the biggest threats to the environment are, but also how we can find solutions for those threats with the help of technology.
While the youngest students will sharpen their digital skills mainly through games and treasure hunt-type activities, those in the 10-14 years old age group will enter a sustainability-themed competition where they use Scratch app to illustrate a solution to an environmental problem that concerns them. At the end of the competitions, both the children and the libraries they represent will receive prizes totalling 42,500 RON.
“We are glad to reach children and librarians in the CODE Kids network with the Green School from the Future program. It will be, for us and for them alike, a teamwork exercise and a plea for active involvement in understanding and solving environmental problems of the local communities“, said Angela Galeța, Director of Vodafone Romania Foundation.
“We are excited to bring additional resources to our communities of future programmers in public libraries through the partnership with Vodafone Romania Foundation. It is a very good example of collaboration between entities with a common mission – to help children who need information and skill development the most by approaching them in a way that is relevant to them and making the experience as pleasant and fun as possible”, said Camelia Crisan, CEO of Progress Foundation.
The methodology from the “School of the Future” program was designed by Vodafone Spain Foundation in collaboration with the University of Salamanca, in line with the five areas of competence defined in DigComp.
Green School from the Future is a partnership between the Vodafone Romania Foundation and the Progress Foundation addressed to children from the CODE Kids clubs, enabling their access to educational resources through the School of the Future web platform and engaging them in finding green solutions for the communities in which they live.
School of the Future is part of the Skills Upload Jr. program – an initiative of Vodafone Foundations in 11 countries, created to encourage educators and students to develop their critical thinking and creative use of digital technologies.
Vodafone Romania Foundation is a Romanian non-governmental organization and registered charity distinct and independent from the company’s commercial operations, established in 1998. In its more than 20 years of activity, Vodafone Romania Foundation has financed 1,168 programs run by 745 NGOs from around the country. The projects have had more than 3 million beneficiaries: children, young people, elderly, physically, socially or economically disadvantaged people. So far, Vodafone Romania Foundation has invested over 31 million euros in projects implemented by partner non-profit organizations. More details about the Foundation’s programs can be found at www.fundatia-vodafone.ro, http://jurnaldebine.fundatia-vodafone.ro/ and www.facebook.com/fundatiavodafone.
Progress Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in 1996 in Bistrita, which contributes to the development of the community, vulnerable individuals and groups and helps people become stronger through education, technology, research and innovation. The organization supports citizens to evolve, realize their potential and achieve well-being in sustainable and resilient communities. Through the partnerships it creates, Progress Foundation focuses on facilitating lifelong learning and the transfer of innovation, building IT and STEM skills, and developing new methodologies for participatory design and social inclusion. In order to achieve its goals and to reach even remote groups, the organization uses public libraries and community spaces in villages and cities as focal points of learning and hubs for social innovation. www.progressfoundation.ro.
