Expert volunteers in Open Future programme inspire students and break down prejudices

Open Future centres are often visited by expert volunteers. In their spare time, they try to inspire the children involved in the program, teach them something new or advise them on the projects they are working on. How do experts perceive their club experience? What do they see as their contribution? We asked four of them.

One of the guests at Open Future Center in Trnava was Marcela Zimová, director of information security from the IT company Piano Software. Marcela spoke to the children about safe behavior on the Internet, but also about women in IT, as only 13% of them work in this sector in Slovakia.

“I tried to break down some prejudices about women from the point of view of men and at the same time talked about what women can bring to the IT world,” explained the expert. Surveys show that girls’ interest in IT grows if they have female role models.

Another inspiring volunteer in Open Future centre was the CEO of the Sensoneo startup Martin Basila. Martin’s role was specific in that he helped the participants with the projects they created themselves. He tried to pass on his experiences to the children and advise them on what they can improve. As Sensoneo develops solutions for intelligent waste management, Martin became the main consultant for a group of our participants working on the separomat project. He advised them where to look for a database of garbage distribution and food codes.

Simona Hlaváčová and Jana Reháková from the social enterprise Baterkáreň brought various topics to the club. They mostly focused on sustainability and told the children about social entrepreneurship and the importance of volunteering. “Our goal was to make sustainability not just some special topic that we’re going to learn about now. We want it to become a daily part of our lives,” emphasized Simona.

Survey

How do you see the benefit of expert volunteering for yourself?

Marcela Zimová: „It means a lot to me personally. I want to give something back to society. I also see the sense in the fact that people from companies do expert volunteering, because they can offer the young generation a new perspective on things and inspire them.”

Martin Basila: “When I was little, I lacked such feedback and inspiration. I like to break down barriers, I like to open children’s eyes that they can do anything they want. Our generation was not led to self-confidence, not to be afraid, or healthy audacity, so I believe that this will inspire them to believe that everything is possible. I want to help them find the talent that is hidden in them.”

Simona Hlaváčová: “It’s natural for us to be active, and children are a great target to be encouraged to be active and volunteer. It’s a way of self-realization, a way of helping, and through volunteering I get the important feeling that I’m not alone in this.”

Jana Reháková: “If we don’t volunteer to help each other, we can wrap it up here as a society. For me, volunteering is often an escape from frustration and demotivation. It is very beneficial when a person is part of a solution. Many situations are difficult and we are not completely in control, but when volunteering we can have a sense of control.”