LINKgroup schools selected for big European project "Girls Go Circular"

Dec 07, 2020 0 comments

Among fierce competition, LINKgroup schools have been selected to participate in the important European project "Girls Go Circular", whose objective is to increase the number of women in the digital industry and entrepreneurship in general. The project is a part of the larger "Skills for the Future" initiative, under the auspices of EU’s "Horizon 2020" program.

It is a popular, ambitious project initiated at the prestigious European Institute of Innovation and Technology – EIT in cooperation with international organization "Junior Achievement Europe", leader in entrepreneurial education.

Europe’s leading organizations dedicated to education have recognized LINKgroup as an important factor whose involvement is crucial for the implementation of such an ambitious project. This is why our company has received a special invitation to participate. This means that our schools have been chosen to take part, with their students, in the realization of the plans and objectives of the "Girls Go Circular" project.

The educational institutions within LINKgroup’s system have thereby joined a wide network of European partnership for the advancement of young people’s digital skills and provided their students with valuable opportunities for gaining experience and knowledge through cooperation with international educational institutions and their peers from all over Europe.

"Skills for the Future" – for young innovators who care about the planet

The "Skills for the Future" project is aimed at the development of high school students’ entrepreneurial skills and finding innovative solutions regarding climate change, food systems and the sustainable supply of minerals and metals. Mentored by Europe’s prominent economic leaders, over 1,000 students all over the EU are hard at work on the challenge of building a sustainable European society.

THE PROJECT’S 4 STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES

International brainstorming camps in Italy, Hungary and Slovenia
Communication skills training and development for adequate presentation of innovations
Developing entrepreneurial skills through work with mentors during which the students acquire entrepreneurial instincts, adopt financial literacy and learn how to found mini-companies which will compete at the national and
European levels at the end of the school year
Summit where the best student teams present their ideas and acquire teamwork skills, while their teachers attend training designed to help them introduce challenge-based learning into the teaching process

"Girls Go Circular" – for more women in digital and entrepreneurial realm

"Girls Go Circular" is a part of the "Skills for the Future" project focused on increasing the number of women in Europe’s digital and entrepreneurial sectors, i.e. decreasing gender inequality in these important areas of modern life.

The bulk of "Girls Go Circular" project’s activities is aimed at countries like Serbia, where the number of women innovators among the population is small. According to 2019 research, in the European Union, there are 11% fewer women than men with developed digital skills, whereas women make up a mere 34% of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates and 17% of ICT experts.

This is why "Girls Go Circular" has set out to bring together 12,000 high school girls from countries with fewer innovators and give them an opportunity to attend workshops that connect digital skills and sustainable development. Through familiar topics such as food, recycling in the fashion industry, internet security and the use and disposal of technological devices, the students will use digital media to adopt important knowledge, become acquainted with various approaches, develop leadership skills and gain self-confidence that will help them make a creative contribution in the field of sustainable development.

Savremena and International School students are scheduled to participate in these workshops and exchange knowledge with their peers from several schools in Greece and Italy in December.

LINKgroup – important European partner in education, innovative approaches and sustainable development

Not only will LINKgroup schools’ students have a chance to adopt valuable knowledge and gain precious experience through the innovative platform for the development of digital and entrepreneurial skills within the "Girls Go Circular" project, but also, the participation in this ambitious project will bring the schools in the LINKgroup system important partnerships in Europe.

Notable results of the participation in these European projects include the exchange of experience and a shared initiative for the development of skills necessary for high quality of life and work in the 21st century among our students.

THESE ARE OUR EUROPEAN PARTNERS IN THIS IMPORTANT MISSION:

European Institute of Innovation and Technology – EIT, "Skills for the Future" project coordinator, is European Union’s independent institute founded in 2008, with the objective of enhancing innovation capacity through nurturing entrepreneurial talent and supporting new ideas.

EIT’s activities bring together leading organizations in industry innovation, education and research, which comprise the "knowledge triangle", helping realize dynamic cross-border partnerships at the heart of the EIT community whose goals are sustainable development and creating new jobs through strengthening the European innovation capacity.

"Junior Achievement Europe'' (JA Europe) is an international organization that brings together over 39,000 schools in 40 countries. Their goal is to inspire and encourage young people and empower them with knowledge required for success in the 21 century global economy. Bringing together over 3.5 million students and dedicated mentors with a wealth of industry experience, this is an organization that helps young people develop their knowledge and acquire entrepreneurial skills. "JA Europe" is also engaged in the analysis of the impact of entrepreneurial education programs and works towards the realization of the idea that each young person should acquire practical entrepreneurial experience as a part of their education. "JA Europe" is a European regional operating center and part of the "JA Worldwide" network.

"DLearn – European Digital Learning Network" is a non-profit network active in research, surveying, studies and other activities driven by the exchange of knowledge, whose objective is to provide continual support to European education and strengthen European citizens’ awareness of the impact of digitalization on their everyday life. It endeavors to find solutions to the challenges brought about by the digital transformation, caused by the lack of harmonization of digital skills and digital learning options. It connects 27 partner organizations from 16 countries, including LINKgroup, the exclusive representative of Serbia.

LINKgroup remains dedicated to providing top-quality education and offering relevant international learning opportunities for all students at their schools. These efforts have been recognized by Europe’s leading organizations in education, which ensures that our students have a unique opportunity to gain and exchange knowledge through important European projects.