Emitel is a partner of the next edition of the “Zwolnieni z Teorii” competition. The aim of the project is to expand the competencies of high school students in the fields of teamwork, communication and creative thinking. A group of Emitel mentors will support project teams tasked with quite a challenge – coming up with ideas for Polish future cities. The cooperation will also encompass patronage of selected secondary schools by Emitel, which will include unique training courses for teachers, concerning shaping entrepreneurial attitudes among students.
In its business operations, Emitel is guided by the objectives of sustainable development enshrined in the UN Global Compact. One of the priorities in the field of corporate social responsibility is support the development of civil society. These actions are reflected both in Emitel’s business strategy, its sustainable development principles, as well as everyday work of the Company’s teams. For this reason, Emitel decided to start cooperation with the Zwolnieni z Teorii Foundation, which organises the largest competition for secondary school students in Poland. Up until now, more than 70,000 students from all over Poland took part in the competition, with 10,000 participating in the grand finale. The young participants carried out 2000 social projects. It is estimated that the implemented projects had a positive impact on the lives of about 20 million Poles.
“I have been closely watching the development of the ‘Zwolnieni z Teorii’ platform and I am impressed by the development of the project and its popularity among young people. I had the pleasure to take part in it as a member of jury in the last grand finale of the competition and I immediately realised that Emitel simply needed to get involved in this project. For many years now, we have been one of the best Polish companies implementing the principles of corporate social responsibility. Being a leader in the industry obliges us to look for innovative solutions in the field of social activities, which we support. ‘Zwolnieni z Teorii’ is more than just a unique undertaking – it is also a project with a proven formula, which is why I am glad that we started to work together”, said Andrzej J. Kozłowski, President of the Management Board of Emitel.
The participants will be tasked with coming up and developing a project in response to the challenge posed by Emitel – designing a future city. The teams will be supported by their mentors, who will actively aid the youth in the implementation of their projects, as well as share their knowledge and expertise in order to boost the participants’ soft skills and ultimately increase the chances for the projects to succeed.
“In today’s world, cities are becoming increasingly important as hubs for an ever-growing part of the population. The progressing urbanisation, which results in an increased resource consumption and degradation of the environment, poses a tremendous challenge to city authorities and means that new strategies need to be defined and developed to successfully tackle them. I am glad that young people will be working with us to develop their visions of future cities. This is one of our key areas of interest, corresponding to the assumption that technology should be used to make life better and safer”, said Maciej Staszak, Vice-President of the Management Board of Emitel, one of the mentors taking part in the project.
The “Zwolnieni z Teorii” educational platform has been supporting young people in developing competencies and skills for the future – leadership, cooperation, and creative problem solving – for six years. Its operation is based on modern teaching methodology – Social Project Method™, which uses the implementation of an actual social project to develop practical skills, which are hard to acquire using traditional teaching methods. Every team, which manages to complete their project becomes a finalist of the competition, and the best teams in Poland compete for the “Wolves” – awards presented during the Grand Finale by representatives of the highest state authorities and the largest enterprises. All students who manage to implement their project also receive international project management certificate from Project Management Institute R.E.P.