From Coding Masters to the Global Teacher Prize

One teacher, Jolanta Okuniewska, has completely changed her approach to teaching thanks to the Coding Masters program. A participant every year since the pilot edition of Coding Masters, Ms. Okuniewska is passionate about teaching her students to code. By incorporating coding, along with digital puzzles and games, Ms. Okuniewska is now setting new trends with her teaching methods.

“A tablet nowadays is as common as a pencil case,” said Okuniewska. “While maybe not seen as a necessity, tablet education definitely makes learning more interesting and effective by providing a huge range of tools in one place that is accessible at the touch of a finger.”

For her efforts, Ms. Okuniewska was nominated for the Global Teacher Prize. The Global Teacher Prize is a prestigious award acknowledging teachers who have made outstanding contributions to their profession. It’s amazing to have even been nominated, let alone being one of only 50 teachers selected from a pool of 8,000 instructors from 148 countries.

Continuing to Change the Face of Polish Education

New technology can be a wonderful educational tool for kids. They can use it to search for information, communicate with teachers and friends and play interactive games. With the great success of the Coding Masters program, Samsung continues to help change the face of Polish education with other new initiatives, including Samsung Labo (dedicated to students) and the Coding Master Junior (dedicated to preschoolers).

As Blanka Fijolek, a Coding Masters founder, explained: “In Poland, there are ongoing discussions on including coding in a national curriculum for the younger students. It is important to ensure trainings for the teachers and create conditions for them to share their experiences.”

Meet Bela — an inspirational young innovator from the USA

Our world needs more scientists, technology inventors, engineers and mathematicians. That’s why Samsung runs a campaign called the Solve For Tomorrow Contest, an annual competition to engage students in active, hands-on STEM learning. One of these remarkable young students is Isabela, a sophomore at the STEM Academy at Galena High School in Nevada, USA, and one of five national winners of the 2015 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest.

Bela was the project manager for her school’s project, which won Galena High $125,000 worth of Samsung technology. Bela led a team of 90 students on a project that produced 21 prototypes of adaptive equipment designed to help their peers with special needs. Since 2004, Samsung has provided technology worth more than $17 million to more than 1,000 public schools across the United States and has been running the Solve for Tomorrow Contest since 2010.

It’s talented people like Bela who Samsung hopes to empower — by providing the opportunity to become young innovators who can change our world. Bela puts it this way: “I’m an innovator because I truly believe that the smallest improvements and enhancements can lead to the biggest changes.”

However, any company contributing to a better world must take a broad approach and understand all aspects of being a good corporate citizen. That’s especially true for a global business like Samsung. To meet our responsibilities and to deliver on our purpose, we have developed a Corporate Citizenship strategy that focuses on four key areas: Education, Employment, Healthcare and Community.

To find out more, take a look at this video clip and meet our innovators:

Enhancing Education Opportunities

One of our key objectives globally is to help young people get a better education. Samsung contributes by creating opportunities to learn through regionally tailored education programs.
Let me give you just one example: In Poland we have been running the Coding Masters program, which ensures that young people are not just consumers of technology, but have the skills to be digital creators. The program has spread digital literacy and taught computer programming skills at more than 1,200 schools to 3,000 teachers and almost 100,000 pupils.

Supporting the Transition to Employment

Vocational training is another important focus. It’s vital that young people attain the practical skills they need to get jobs in specific industries; vocational training is one of the key ingredients for a better future.

During the past four years, Samsung has given more than 20,000 young people access to smart technology, ICT training and employability programs, to give them the skills they need for this digital century and support their transition from education to employment.

Providing Better Healthcare for All

Technology is also at the heart of global efforts to help people live healthier lives. Samsung’s technology expertise can support here too, by giving people around the world better access to healthcare solutions and services.

Take our Sono School Program, which uses health education and technology to reduce infant mortality. Since 2013, more than 3,000 doctors have been given the most advanced ultrasound equipment and been trained how to use it.

Empowering Local Communities

We are committed to supporting the economic and social development of communities around the world. As part of this commitment, we created Samsung’s Nanum Village initiative. It supports underprivileged communities by building essential infrastructure in remote regions like Gran Chaco, Argentina. With another 10 Nanum Villages across Africa, Vietnam and India, Samsung has built community centers, medical centers and schools. The initiative has improved the living conditions for more than 200,000 people since 2013. And, most importantly of all, by giving them the vital skills and tools they need, these communities are now empowered to help themselves.

Why We Do It

At Samsung, our core purpose is to devote our human resources and technology to create products and services that by themselves contribute to a better world. Our innovation helps people to be better connected and informed, and live easier and more secure lives, which creates positive change for people everywhere.

However, as Bela’s story and many others show: our goal is to empower innovators — through technology and education — to change the world themselves.

A Better World for All

We want to give innovators the tools they need to unlock their true potential and accomplish amazing things. That’s why Samsung is honored to provide tomorrow’s innovators with the technology and support they need, to make a better world for everyone.

To learn more about Samsung’s efforts to empower Tomorrow’s Innovators, here are two additional videos: a short introduction and a more in-depth look.

Samsung Presents: Tomorrow’s Innovators (6 mins)

Samsung Presents: Tomorrow’s Innovators (40 secs)