REF Romania and Accenture Romania have initiated a special learning program on March 11, 2024, through which Romani children, refugees from Ukraine, participating in activities at the One Stop Shop Center, had the opportunity to acquire important digital skills for our contemporary world.
Digital Skills Academy is one of the programs through which Accenture Romania engages with the communities it is a part of, so that its members can access future careers. The program was initiated by the Accenture Romania team in 2020 and is now in its fifth edition. In the previous edition, over 850 children from 38 schools participated. The Digital Skills Academy aims to reduce the digital skills gap among young people from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds. More than just promoting digital skills, this program’s main objective is to increase confidence among young people and stimulate their aspirations, preparing them for future challenges and opportunities.
“In our desire to support children from vulnerable communities and generate a positive and lasting impact, four years ago we initiated the ‘Digital Skills Academy’ volunteer program. It is truly joyful to see how much inspiration and confidence in the future our courses bring to children. We intend to continue this initiative, expanding the program to as many regions as possible and eventually to other countries,” said Aliona Hlusov, Founder and Coordinator for Digital Skills Academy at Accenture Romania.
Volunteers from Accenture Romania facilitated practical sessions covering a wide range of skills, from safe internet browsing to programming concepts and algorithms. The program is not limited to theoretical courses but also includes Open Doors events, offering young people a direct insight into the fascinating world of technology.
“Since the opening of the OSS Center, we have aimed to provide children who attend our activities with a wide range of educational experiences. The goal is to provide them with a safe space where they can receive support not only to overcome the traumas of war but also to maintain direct contact with various learning processes. The partnership with the Accenture Romania team has had extraordinary effects on them because it has offered them the opportunity to expand their digital knowledge. Moreover, some of them are ready to move to the next level: they want to learn programming,” said Andreea Nedelcu, project manager.
The partnership between Roma Education Fund Romania and Accenture Romania demonstrates the power of collaboration in supporting vulnerable youth and promoting equal access to learning and development opportunities in the digital age.
The One-Stop-Shop Center, opened on April 25, 2023, is dedicated to supporting Romani refugees from Ukraine and it is funded through grants from the Migration and Refugee Fund of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). Established by the CEB in 2015, this fund has been used to help Bank member states integrate migrants and refugees into host communities across Europe.
