We know 15 organisations advancing to the EDUcamp 2022

At the beginning of the year, 40 projects applied to the Generation 3.0 programme. Evaluation committees composed of representatives of the Ministry of Education, its organisations, the Pontis Foundation and members of the Generation 3.0 Advisory Board selected 15 projects – one startup and 14 organisations. In June, they will take part in the three-day EDUcamp – an event during which we will connect them with business and education experts. The EDUcamp will also answer the question of which organisations will advance to the key activity of the programme entitled the EDUaccelerator.

Mental health and the development of critical thinking

The evaluation committees also selected participants for the EDUcamp on the basis of the compliance of their projects with the announced thematic areas of the sixth year. Besides educating students from socially disadvantaged and less stimulating backgrounds, which has been a focus in recent years, we have added new areas: mental health of students and teachers, developing critical thinking and preventing the spread of disinformation, adaptation to the digital environment (social networking, cyberbullying and so on). This year’s call thus responded to the educational needs which emerged as a result of the pandemic.

“We felt that the pandemic had had an impact on the mental health of both teachers and students. At the same time, more than ever, there has been a need to develop young people’s critical thinking and teach them to work with both information and its resources,” senior programme manager Norbert Maur explains.

Changes in the application and the amount of the grant

For the first time, the registration was also open for organisations that have already participated in the programme in the past. “We believe that regular and recurring mentoring can help organisations over time,” explains program coordinator Tomáš Janeček, adding: “Organisations are also evolving and over time addressing other types of challenges than years ago. From this point of view, it makes sense for them to have a chance to benefit from mentoring again.”

There were also changes in the method and amount of grant provision. Unlike in previous years, only one organisation will receive funding to disseminate its project, but the grant will be worth up to € 30,000.

Newcomers and graduates

Thanks to the changed rules, four participants who have already completed the programme in the past were among the 15 applicants: I AMbitious, the Institute for Active Citizenship, the Slovak Debate Association and SPy. The other 11 participants will participate in the EDUcamp for the first time and will thus also have the opportunity to advance into the three-month EDUcamp and gain a grant of 30,000 euros.

Complete list of the EDUcamp 2022 participants in alphabetical order:

Centre for Community Organizing
Project title: Schools for Democracy

The preventive educational programme of the School for Democracy has been operating since 2017. It is the only programme of its intensity and kind in Slovakia. It systematically, long-term and constructively works to prevent radicalisation and extremism of young people and strengthen support for open and tolerant civil society and active citizenship.
www.cko.sk

EduCoach

Project title: BE YOUR OWN COACH – Change Your Perspective on What You Do Every Day

The project for teachers in the Trnava region aims to introduce a coaching approach to two secondary schools. It enriches the teachers’ competence profile and their emotional and social skills. At the same time, it supports the students directly on the school grounds and help them develop their potential. By changing their point of view and attitude, the project helps teachers improve their own experiences, life attitudes and relationships, which has a positive impact on their work with students.
www.educoach.sk 

EMTEGRA
Project title: COMPASS

Compass is a programme for developing social and emotional skills of children, teachers and schools. The long-term goal of the programme is to improve mental health, academic performance and student relationships through the development of key life skills in emotional and social literacy (self-awareness, empathy, self-control, relationship building, motivation, etc.) in schools and beyond. It provides experiential training and reinforcement to teachers and worksheets for families.

I AMbitious 
Project title: I AMbitious Academy

I AMbitious is an annual intensive educational programme that focuses on the development of ambitious high school students in the regions, thus contributing to their prosperity. It also seeks to create innovation hubs and engage communities directly in the regions. It involves not only students but also innovative companies, young professionals, and people from the public, non-profit and private sectors who want to move their communities forward.
www.iambitious.sk 

Impact Games
Project title: Gamifactory: Let’s Make Education Fun!

The project is based on the knowledge that games not only entertain but can also serve as an effective tool for acquiring key competencies of the 21^st century as critical thinking and ingenuity in solving problems. Gamifactory offers (educational) games for schools, practical methodologies on how to use games in practice, training, as well as a space for research and sharing good practice.
www.impactgames.eu

Indícia (tr. Hint)
Project title: Computer Science with Emil

Computer Science with Emil is a unique method of teaching computer science. It focuses on the school and is based on scientific research and many years of work with teachers and pupils. For the first time the project builds and presents informatics as a well-thought-out and systematic cognitive process for every pupil. It turns computer science from computer use to a new form of research, problem-solving, and interconnectedness between subjects. Computer Science with Emil teaches pupils how to live and work responsibly in a digital environment and how to get to know and change the world.
www.indicia.sk 

Institute for Active Citizenship
Project title: Kindergartens That Change the World

The project aims to expand the popular programme Schools That Change the World into kindergartens and primary schools all across Slovakia. It focuses on the development of civic and life skills, soft skills, values, attitudes, and the ability of the youngest, through experiential, playful, fun, informal and age-appropriate methods and means and close cooperation with parents.
skolyktoremeniasvet.sk

IPčko

Project title: Safety Box –Aid from Self-harm for Young People

Psychologists from IPčko have created the Safety Box, which is a new and unique tool to help cope with difficult situations. Some young people may deal with difficult life situations by hurting themselves. The project includes training of professionals from the helping professions, teachers and parents in the field of self-harm, self-harm assistance and the methodology of working with the Safety Box and the creation of helpful content.
ipcko.sk

League for Mental Health of the Slovak Republic
Project title: Coalition of Schools for Mental Health
The programme brings together schools that want to create an environment that is beneficial to mental health. The school environment has the power to prevent mental disorders and reduce the incidence of negative phenomena such as bullying, the absence of critical thinking, prejudice against marginalised groups or the incidence of physical or psychological violence. A school that promotes the well-being of children and teachers contributes to positive change throughout society.
www.dusevnezdravie.sk

Slovak Debate Association
Project title: Critical Thinking Olympiad

The programme aims to fill the gap in formal education in developing critical thinking and media literacy. It consists of three parts:

1. Training of secondary school teachers in media literacy and critical thinking.
2. Trained teachers will use the acquired knowledge and coaching materials from the SDA in the education of their students.
3. Organising of the Olympiad event, in which pupils can use the acquired knowledge and turn it into skills.
   www.sda.sk

SmartBooks
Project title: SmartBooks – Digital Education Without Borders

The project is an online portal for innovative education. SmartBooks is the first digital smart textbook and smart exercise book with a complete curriculum of all subjects and grades of primary schools in line with the innovated State Education Programme.
www.smartbooks.sk

SPy
Project title: Teaching with Hardware

The mission of the project is to bring practical assignments to the teaching of computer science at primary and secondary schools, which will show students interesting possibilities of using informatics and thanks to which students will themselves become interested in developing their IT skills. Since 2018, more than 300 primary and secondary schools have been involved in the project. The organisation has trained almost 750 teachers, and its activities have affected more than 10,000 pupils and students.
ucimeshardverom.sk

STAR
Project title: Nurture School – Pilot Project
The project aims to verify the Nurture principles of learning in the Slovak school system, taking into account the cultural and social diversity of the regions and communities in Slovakia. An inclusive and holistic Nurture approach to upbringing and education has a direct impact on the removal of barriers to learning and breaking the cycle of a negative behaviour through the targeted development of emotional, social, communication and cognitive skills.

SYTEV
Project title: Expressing Ourselves Without Hatred

The project organisation continues to spread the idea of No Hate, a campaign by the Council of Europe. The project disseminates this idea among young leaders and youth leaders, as well as youth workers. The trained multipliers of this campaign organise workshops in primary and secondary schools on topics such as the prevention of radicalisation of young people, manifestations of extremism, support and protection of human rights and freedoms, prevention of all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and other manifestations of intolerance.
www.sytev.sk

YouthWatch
Project title: Marker for Schools

The projects focuses on multi-phase teacher education in the methodology of non-formal education, which develops the competencies of young people needed for a successful life in the 21^st century. This methodology has been successfully validated in the context of youth work. The pilot teacher education has shown that most of these principles are transferable to school education, and pupils/students respond very positively to these changes.
www.youthwatch.sk