Every year, the importance and popularity of IT education are increasing: technology is evolving, tech companies are growing rapidly and need new IT professionals. However, not everyone can get such an education. SoftServe’s IT-Shkolyar (IT-Student) charity project is working to ensure that children from boarding schools for orphans and family based care homes can take their first step towards an IT education.

This article is a part of a series of materials about corporate social responsibility at SoftServe. If you want to know more about our CSR activities, click here .

How does the IT-Shkolyar project help children learn programming

The IT-Shkolyar project was launched in 2014 in Ivano-Frankivsk.

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We understood that we have opportunities to teach children. We didn’t have a big budget in the beginning, because it wasn’t needed. We needed a room (the IT Academy provided it), proactive people (and we do have IT professionals ready to share their expertise), and organizational skills

BY OLENA OLEKSYN | PROJECT COORDINATOR

Having secured volunteer teachers, Olena contacted boarding schools for orphans and told them about the project. The first group of students was brought together to learn about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and software testing. In addition, the course included teamwork, presentation skills, leadership and even digital security.

“These are the basics. We wanted to give the children a peek into the world of IT: to show them the future that is being built in Ukraine, to broaden their horizons, to take them on a tour of the company, and to meet our employees,” says Olena.

The employees came forward with ideas for the curriculum. Classes were held on weekends, in their spare time. Despite the employees’ lack of training in education, they taught the children many new skills, harnessing their enthusiasm to great effect.

“I used to volunteer and I worked with wonderful, talented kids,” says Olena Oleksyn. “But I understood that the environment was not right for their talents to blossom. It pained me and my colleagues who joined the project that these children are offered no opportunities to grow and develop.”

After the first group finished the course, it was clear that the project simply had to continue. According to Olena Oleksyn, they worked with boarding schools for orphans and gifted children from rural areas, as well as with children from low-income families who attend regular schools. The project was so successful that it expanded from Ivano-Frankivsk to Lviv and Dnipro. And now Chernivtsi and Odesa want to join.

How does the project work?

IT-Shkolyar offers a three-month course. In the beginning, there was no special selection process, and all interested students from grades 8-10 were invited. According to the project coordinator, this was important so that students could adjust their further education plans if they wished to continue working in IT. Later, as the project expanded, the children had to take a short entry test to assess their math skills.

At the end of the course, the students presented their projects.

“It’s the real deal, just like in a real IT job. I often think back to how they first talked about themselves and how they carried themselves in their final presentations—the change is stark. They stood up straight, glowed with confidence, and showed how happy they were with their achievements. Witnessing this change is so rewarding,” says Olena Oleksyn.

In total, more than 60 students graduated from this programme in Ivano-Frankivsk alone.

How does this project shape the future of its participants?

According to Olena Oleksyn, many children continue in IT (for example, one of her current colleagues is a graduate of IT-Shkolyar).

“Perhaps the reason is that IT is trending now. We talk to our students and alumni, and I know that one child dreamed of joining the cyber police and did just that. There are children who have become real experts in IT and software development. Some went into design, but this course still had an impact on them,” she says.

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Olena believes that this project is an example of giving people a fishing rod instead of fish, helping them to grow and prove themselves in order to better their future.

Ukraine has an incredible array of talent, and these children just need to be given a chance. We need to give a person the opportunity to grow on their own instead of living off governmental aid, and to help them build our country with us.

But in addition to helping its immediate participants, this project helps build a community with all the people involved.

“At SoftServe, I feel the community. I know that there are many proactive people here who are ready to provide support, and offer their time, resources and money as a way to invest in our country. For me, this is a very valuable insight. After all, I could work anywhere, but for me it is important to work in a socially responsible company with a strong community. It is an incredible feeling to have people you can rely on, and with whom you share similar values,” says Olena Oleksyn.