Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and the Samsung Innovation Campus not only help students across the world – including in the U.K., Vietnam and Turkey – gain more advantages in terms of job opportunities and career paths, but they also combine the efforts of participants in order to harness their skills and solve social issues. Samsung Newsroom heard from some of the young people who are creating a better future through Samsung’s programs.

Alec Conway’s Project Dignity Digital Lockers Help the Homeless Reintegrate Into Society

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is an education program in which young people utilize their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math to solve regional issues and further develop their problem-solving skills. The program, which began in the U.S. in 2010, is now present in more than 30 countries. It is comprised of three steps: identifying an issue, coming up with a solution and making that idea a reality. Samsung employees act as mentors for participating teams, providing them with support throughout the process. The winning team is chosen based on contestants’ presentations and the final products.

Through Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, Alec Conway from the U.K. not only developed a novel idea, but also grew his idea into a business proposition. While traveling around Europe, he observed many homeless people carrying their possessions around. He realized that having a place to store their possessions would offer them more independence and opportunities. With this idea, he created Project Dignity and entered the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow program.

Alec designed a type of digital locker that not only offers a secure storage solution for homeless people, but also provides them with vital information such as maps, accommodations and details on food accessibility through a digital screen that’s built into the locker. Each locker also works as a PO box, providing the user with a permanent address with which they can receive support regarding employment, healthcare and tasks like opening a bank account. While participating in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, Alec received advice from Samsung employee mentors, and eventually took home the top prize. Alec is now working closely with Digital Catapult, a technology innovation center in the U.K., and is exploring partnerships to develop a functioning prototype of his digital locker.

Vietnamese Students’ IoT Device Trap Pests Using Solar Energy

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow offers an opportunity for students like Le Hang, Tuong Vy and Tuyet Nhi of Vietnam to unleash their potential and creativity using science and technology. The trio won Vietnam’s second edition of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow by developing equipment that allows local farmers to enhance productivity by streamlining how they trap pests.

The idea came to the students after they noticed just how often farmers have to enter hazardous zones to eliminate pests. They thought that if a device could take over pest control, the farmers would be able to work under much safer conditions. This led the students to start developing an IoT device that could trap pests in organic vegetable fields using solar energy.

Receiving robust mentoring and support from Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s online sessions, they designed what they called “Equipment for trapping pests in organic vegetable fields using solar energy.” The team integrated IoT to ensure that the device would operate seamlessly even when it was far away. They credit Samsung Solve for Tomorrow for helping them overcome various obstacles and for teaching them a lot about the importance of teamwork during the problem-solving process, and about thinking critically.

Meet Batuhan, Who Grew Thanks to the Samsung Innovation Campus While Also Participating in the UN Sustainable Development Goals Project

The Samsung Innovation Campus offers various types of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) education to help unemployed young people competitiveness in the job market. The program offers a total of 240 hours of education in key ICT areas. Students can not only learn about technologies such as AI and IoT, but they can also develop crucial employability skills to help create better opportunities for themselves. As of 2020, approximately 160,000 students have graduated from the Samsung Innovation Campus, and the program is available in 20 regions around the world.

In the face of a job crisis that has left 25 percent of Turkish youth unemployed, Batuhan successfully landed a job in the IT industry after finding his dream at the Samsung Innovation Campus. A 2019 graduate of Istanbul Technical University, Batuhan had been interested in IT, but didn’t stand out in the field. Participating in the Samsung Innovation Campus program offered an opportunity for him to learn practical skills and know-how from field experts, and receive helpful career advice from his mentors.

In particular, Batuhan worked with other participants to plan and execute an environmental project in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He utilized everything he had learned in the program, which ultimately helped him broaden his perspective. “The Samsung Innovation Campus was an opportunity for me to challenge myself in a new way,” said Batuhan. “I learned that the hours of learning and hard work were all worth it in the end. If you wish to work in this field, I recommend the Samsung Innovation Campus.”

‘I Should Pay Forward What I’ve Learned’: Meet Passakorn, the Mentee Who Became a Mentor

Graduates of Samsung Innovation Campus often return to the program as mentors in order to pay forward the help they had received. Passakorn is one of those students. Having participated in SIC during its first year in Thailand, he has returned to serve as a mentor. He first got into programming to develop computer games, and received systematic education at the Samsung Innovation Campus. He and his teammates successfully completed the SIC program with their AI-based smart home solutions project.

By utilizing what he learned at the Samsung Innovation Campus, Passakorn was accepted into the robotics and AI engineering program at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. He became a mentor himself to share the special experience that he enjoyed at the Samsung Innovation Campus with more people. He wants students to go through education and training just like he did, and create solutions by collaborating with one another. “Thank you, Samsung Innovation Campus, for opening the door for me to come with my own innovative smart home solutions,” said Passakorn. “I hope to become a driving force for the new generation – the leaders of the future – to achieve innovative and creative feats.”

Technology for All: Meet Carmen, Who’s Lowering Barriers to Medical Support

Technology can create something novel that didn’t exist before, but it can also lower barriers for marginalized communities to access essential services. The idea of helping communities in need is what inspired Carmen, from Italy, to harness technology to make medical support accessible to all.

While in high school, Carmen spent some time teaching English at a rural primary school in Thailand. While there, she noticed that some people with disabilities were not able to receive the medical care that they required. This sparked an interest in robotic medical technology and in building prosthetic limbs and artificial organs.

Carmen joined the Samsung Innovation Campus while majoring in electronic engineering in college. SIC has not only allowed Carmen to acquire technical skills in areas such as AI, IoT and machine learning, but has also helped her strengthen her resilience and emotional intelligence, which are attributes that can separate an extraordinary engineer from the pack.

Carmen is especially interested in IoT, and was thrilled to study applications for IoT in the medical field and learn about the latest smart biosensors. Coming from an engineering background, understanding computer science topics was sometimes a challenge for Carmen. SIC participants, however, tend to come from a diverse range of academic fields and routinely help one another out when it comes to their area of expertise.

“The Samsung Innovation Campus has empowered the world’s youth by providing them with education and technical skills to develop capabilities that will be needed to solve important social issues,” said Carmen. “What I’ve learned here is helping me achieve my goal of creating prosthetic limbs and artificial organs for the disadvantaged. I will keep pushing myself forward to realize my dream and apply my skills and knowledge to make an impact.”

Guided by its CSR vision, “Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People,” Samsung Electronics provides educational opportunities to nurture the talent that will be needed to create a brighter future. Head to Samsung’s corporate citizenship website for more stories on how the company’s programs are helping bright young minds build a better tomorrow.

But what exactly does this look like? In order to provide a sneak peek into these global citizenship efforts, Samsung has recently released its ‘Journey to a Better Future’ video series, which features the stories of Samsung employees across the globe in charge of the company’s corporate citizenship programs that focus on providing education for future generations.

Turning Dreams Into Reality to Find Solutions for Society

The Journey to a Better Future series presents experiences from Samsung’s corporate citizenship managers around the world, as well as real testimonies from the students who have participated in their programs.

From Samsung Russia, Sergey Pevnev and Anna Kolganova share their favorite memories from throughout their citizenship careers; Pevnev reminisces about the amazement in the young students’ eyes during the live-streamed lesson he organized featuring Russian astronauts in space, while Kolganova shares her story of launching Samsung Innovation Campus with the same determined mindset of the athletes competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics being held at the same time.

Additionally, students from Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) in Italy share how much closer they are to realizing their dreams of becoming tech experts following the Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and programming education they received through the program, and students from the U.K. who participated in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow discuss with their mentors how they developed creative problem-solving skills in the process of realizing their solutions for society during the program.

The stories of the students of Samsung’s education-focused corporate citizenship programs around the world, as well as the managers and mentors who are helping them realize their dreams, will continue to be shared on Samsung’s corporate citizenship website, Samsung Global Newsroom and across social media.

Take a look at some of those stories in the video below.

Enabling People for a Better Future

Under the CSR vision “Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People”, Samsung operates a range of educational programs around the world to create more inclusive, quality learning experiences for young people from all walks of life and to empower future generations to achieve their full potential.

Samsung’s leading global corporate citizenship programs for youth education include Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow encourages students to use their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) knowledge to create solutions that can solve societal problems and fosters their creative problem-solving skills.

Furthermore, Samsung Innovation Campus concentrates on developing the young generation’s employment capabilities through ICT education. From 2012 through 2020, Samsung’s global employees have devoted a total of 9.07 million hours to corporate citizenship activities, and around 21.5 million people have participated in Samsung’s youth education programs.

Samsung’s corporate citizenship programs are aligned with Goal 4 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Samsung cooperates closely with the world’s governments, policy makers and institutions to provide diverse and equal opportunities for young people. Samsung will continue to devote both the technologies and the resources in order to bring high-quality educational experiences to young people in every corner of the world.

But fortunately, things are changing so that visually impaired people can enjoy their favorite entertainment in the comfort of their homes. Some TV stations, such as Swiss Television (SRF), already offer content with audio description for visually impaired and blind people. Furthermore, Samsung Electronics is cooperating with the Swiss Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBV) to showcase how Smart TVs can be operated easily and autonomously by visually impaired individuals.

In this interview, Secretary General Kannarath Meystre and Head of Innovation and Technology Luciano Butera of SBV explain the influence of modern technology on their everyday lives.

(left) Kannarath Meystre, Secretary General, Swiss Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBV) and Luciano Butera, Head of Innovation and Technology (SBV) sat down with Samsung Electronics to discuss the roles of modern technology in their lives

Q. How has technological progress shaped the everyday lives of visually impaired people?

Meystre: Digitization has modernized many professions that could previously be accessed easily by visually impaired or blind people. For example, the profession of the voice assistant telephone operator no longer exists. Since many visual tasks have been added to job roles, such as operating IT systems or working at reception, the employment choices for visually impaired people have become more complex. In order to show how a visually impaired person can still be a fully-fledged employee with the right tools, we educate employers and offer job coaching to employees. Of course, digitization has also simplified many things.

Butera: Exactly, new technologies always hold opportunities as well as hindrances. The introduction of smartphones is a good example: the disappearance of the keypad has made it impossible for blind and visually impaired people to use a mobile phone. But when so-called ‘screen readers’ were introduced in addition to the touch screen which read on-screen content aloud, this not only solved the problem, but suddenly offered a number of new possibilities with regard to the use of the internet and apps. To this end, we created the technology department at SBV about five years ago. One example of its innovations is with physical money. Since the tactile features of Swiss banknotes wear out over time, we have programmed an app that recognizes and indicates the value of money.

(left) Kannarath Meystre and Luciano Butera demonstrate the use of screen readers, which greatly improved access to technology for those with visual impairments

Q. Where in your everyday life are the technical barriers most noticeable?

Butera: Public transport is certainly the biggest issue. In recent years, for example, many aids have been developed on smartphones to enable people to use public transport systems independently. At the same time, ticket machines equipped exclusively with touchscreens cannot be operated by us. The ticket must therefore have been purchased through the app. If this does not work for some reason, the whole process becomes difficult. With this being said, a lot has improved in public transport. For example, all stations and exit directions on trains are now announced.

Meystre: Even if such apps can bring great advantages, digital progress cannot and must not replace human interaction. Despite all the enthusiasm for new technology, care must be taken to ensure that digitization does not lead to social isolation. This would clearly undermine the goal of properly integration visually impaired and blind people into modern society.

Butera: Another area in which there is still much to do is the living area. In particular, since the latest kitchen appliances like cookers, ovens and microwave ovens no longer have buttons, we have to be creative in order to be able to operate them. The ever-more complex menus and the sensor-only navigation fields make the simplest of operations a real challenge for us. Nowadays it is possible to equip many things with special accessories, but it is our aim to ensure that the development of new devices going forward also includes barrier-free access for people with disabilities right from the start.

A voiceover artist records voice guides in a studio

Q. Just like the voice guide on the new Samsung Smart TVs.

Meystre: That’s right. This collaboration with Samsung is exemplary of what we’re working towards. While it used to be easy to operate a simple TV with a simple remote control, the complexity of Smart TVs has created new obstacles. The fact that Samsung recognized this and sought our cooperation to solve this is testament to a genuine pioneering spirit and a sincere appreciation of us. We are very proud to be able to make a contribution to barrier-free television for blind and visually impaired people with this partnership.

Butera: The channel navigation that is read out loud enables us to watch television in a much more enjoyable way. Content with audio description has been available for some time, but only with this voice guide that reads out the schedule and current program options is it really possible for us to explore television without barriers. I am also sure that this new standard will be a great relief for others as well as the blind and visually impaired, such as older individuals with diminishing eyesight who previously required special aids to enjoy television. Furthermore, on a psychological level, it really is much more pleasant to encounter a TV that comes with the necessary adaptations built in rather than having to go to the lengths of custom-fitting a TV with specially designed technology.

The Turkish logo for the anti-cyberbullying project reads: “Don’t be a cyberbully! #beaware”

What is Cyberbullying?

The term cyberbullying can encompass a range of unpleasant actions that take place online, from gossip and exclusion to harassment and threats. Cyberbullying is carried out deliberately by individuals or groups and can cause serious psychological – and even physical – harm.

The collaboration between Samsung and BTK aims to heighten awareness of cyberbullying amongst the public and spearhead education initiatives for children, parents and teachers.

Raising Awareness

In the first stage of the project, a compelling film was created to show the effects of cyberbullying on young people and launch the message: “Don’t be a cyberbully!” A social media campaign followed, which encouraged large numbers of people to share the message, alongside the hashtag “#beaware”.

Cyberbullying leaflet for children (left), Cyberbullying leaflet for parents

Participants also replaced their profile pictures with a black square on their on social media accounts to draw further attention to the issue of cyberbullying. In addition, the project published two leaflets about cyberbullying, written by Dr. Emel Akca, a professor from Kocaeli University. One leaflet was designed for children, another for their parents.

Fighting Bullying Online

As part of Samsung’s Global Volunteer Festival, employees from Samsung Electronics Turkey were involved in face-to-face training sessions with over 200 local children and their parents this year, helping them to understand the effects of online behavior and social media use on young minds. Now in its second year, the initiative has thus far involved over 200 employees, and has reached more than 9,000 students and teachers.

Samsung volunteers hope to give children and parents the tools to prevent cyberbullying with face-to-face training

For the children, the training introduced the concept of cyberbullying and helped them to discuss the impact that cyberbullying has on their lives. Other key topics, such as time management and navigating the internet safely, were also explained. Samsung volunteers also took the time to sit down with the children in their own lives to explain practical methods for preventing and dealing with cyberbullying. With strong emphasis on empathy and ethical behavior online, it is hoped that children themselves will become key ambassadors for the anti-cyberbullying message.

Samsung volunteer Bilgin Baykam talks to a child about cyberbullying at home

During the parents’ seminar, the volunteers addressed important concerns, such as supervising internet access and usage, as well as introducing techniques that could help parents and families cope with cyberbullying. Parents were also encouraged to examine their own internet usage to help them guide their children in being more conscientious online.

This year, over 12,000 Samsung volunteers in more than 30 countries across the world have been involved in Samsung’s Global Volunteer Festival. The Volunteer Festival works with local community members and non-profit organizations to support a variety of projects in different regions.

Samsung Colombia volunteers present a fun and interactive lesson on technology, using puppets to explain the Internet of Things

On a bright day in October, Andres and his classmates took part in a rather different kind of lesson at his school. As part of Samsung’s Global Volunteer Festival, Samsung employees arrived to teach students about the Internet of Things (IoT). While Andres had heard of IoT technology, he was not sure what it could mean for him. He was excited to learn more.

As an industry leader, the company is aware of the importance of training tomorrow’s innovators in new skills. Using puppets to tell an engaging story, volunteers from Samsung Colombia introduced the children of San Francisco de Asís to cutting-edge technologies, including the IoT.

Throughout the lesson, the children were encouraged to ask questions, and Andres’ friend David, seated in the front row, was particularly attentive, enquiring how IoT devices could help him. He wondered what would happen if something as simple as a notebook was connected to the internet.

Curious students were encouraged to raise their hands and ask questions during the lesson

At the end of the story, the children were encouraged to reflect on what life would be like if things like a suitcase, clothes or tennis shoes were connected to the Internet and how it might make their lives even easier. They were asked what kind of objects they would connect to the IoT.

Working in groups, the children discuss their ideas about the IoT

Together, Andres and his friends imagined what it would be like if a tennis racquet was intelligent and connected to the internet. This racquet would sense their movements and measure how well they played every time they used it. It would suggest better moves, training activities, and even send a reminder to their phones whenever they miss tennis training. The racquet would also use fingerprints to sense if it was Andres or another of his friends who was using it. Additionally, a connected tennis ball could help Andres know how fast he was hitting it and follow the trajectory of the ball to monitor and improve his tennis.

In this entertaining and dynamic way, Samsung volunteers were able to teach hundreds of children of San Francisco de Asís about the new opportunities presented by IoT technology and how connected living can improve our day-to-day lives. The team was also delighted to participate in this type of social initiative and share their work with children like Andres.

A volunteer from Samsung helps these imaginative young minds design their own IoT devices

“The experience of being with children and sharing time with them makes a big difference to a normal working day. It brings great satisfaction to give back in this way. We volunteers also learn from the students: witnessing children as they naturally develop their creativity, helps you reconnect with your inner child.”, says David Setton, a volunteer of Samsung Electronics Colombia.

After the lesson, Andres was excited to tell his mother about his experience, He explained to her what the IoT is and how he and his friends had devised a new IoT product during the lesson. Andres was thrilled with the opportunities presented by this new technology. The lesson confirmed that in the future he wants to help as many people as possible with IoT technology.

This project is also a part of the annual Samsung Global Volunteer Festival held in October, a broader approach for Samsung employees to positively impact communities around them.

Students in Brazil chatting and engaging with technology

In Brazil, age-grade distortion is an emerging problem for schools. More than 7 million children and adolescents are currently behind in their schooling by two or more years, according to the 2017 School Census. These boys and girls have fallen behind for a multitude of reasons, but significant numbers are required to repeat academic years because they have dropped out, fallen behind, or were otherwise unable to progress in their studies. The “Trajetórias de Sucesso Escolar” (“Successful School Trajectories”) program was launched by UNICEF, in partnership with Samsung and NGO Cidade Escola Aprendiz, to provide data on this situation and offer solutions.

Regional data about age-grade distortion can be found on the platform http://trajetoriaescolar.org.br/, which provides statistics detailing the geographical spread and prevalence of age-grade distortion. The tool also provides surveys in the hope that people will be encouraged to share information such as race, gender and age profiles, among other details. By publishing this data, the project aims to shed light on the situation and thus face the challenge of age-grade distortion by creating policies that are tailored to specific states and municipalities.

The aim is to use the results from the platform to implement initiatives that are flexible and can be adapted to individual students, schools and regions. It is hoped that these initiatives will re-integrate the students into the school community and reduce the likelihood of truancy and failure.

UNICEF asserts that getting to know students is critical to ensuring that public policies are both efficient and effective. Samsung supports this mission and believe that the company can play a role in improving schooling across Brazil through the use of technology.

“We believe that the development of Brazilian education is a task for all members of society to overcome. Therefore, Samsung strives to collaborate and actively participate in improving the learning process for all students,” says Isabel Costa, Corporate Citizenship Manager at Samsung Brazil.

Samsung’s desire to encourage learning is key to their involvement in the initiative in Brazil. The company collaborated with UNICEF to discuss the future of the initiative at the “Promoção de Trajetórias de Sucesso Escolar” (“Promoting Successful School Trajectories”), a seminar held in Brazil last August that discussed the findings of a recent study conducted by Inep (“National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Anísio Teixeira”*).

UNICEF-Samsung Marathon

In addition to the “Trajetórias de Sucesso Escolar” project, Samsung has also committed itself to the “Maratona UNICEF Samsung” (“UNICEF-Samsung Marathon”), which is a programming and technology strategy to create educational applications that will help to encourage students in their studies and reduce age-grade distortion in Brazil. The project is being carried out in partnership with Softex (Association for the Promotion of Excellence in Brazilian Software) and will be implemented as part of the “Brasil Mais TI” program.

The UNICEF-Samsung Marathon’s final phase will start this month. There will be a presentation of 31 selected projects that have brought together students, programmers, designers, developers, teachers and inventors to create app prototypes for Languages, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Human Sciences. These apps will be used to inspire students in grades 6–9 of elementary school.

Samsung is involved in the development of the apps in a number of capacities, including project mentoring and offering specialist support and knowledge. UNICEF and its partners are responsible for providing education support to the participating teams.

Offering More than Products

Samsung is a world leader in the field of technology, offering a range of products that help people challenge their limits and overcome obstacles so that they can achieve their dreams and life goals. Samsung is committed to innovation and is constantly investing in research and development so that they can offer their users the very best that technology can provide.

People are the main focus of the brand and for this reason Samsung offers a range of exclusive services, benefits, and experiences for customers through Samsung Care and Samsung Club. Communities can also benefit from Samsung Social, a sponsorship program that was designed to promote projects that create a more inclusive and sustainable world.

* Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira.

Samsung volunteers shared Love & Care with the children from RPS Legap, Sungai Siput

Last July, Samsung Malaysia Electronics launched the Samsung Smart Community Center within the rural areas of RPS Legap of Sungai Siput, Perak. The mission was to ensure that the orang asli community would have the opportunity and access to Information & Community Technology (ICT) in this increasingly digitized world.

Over the weekend, Samsung continued its commitment to that community by treating 30 children and five teachers of the village to a day at Sunway Lost World of Tambun. Samsung’s mission this time was to continue encouraging a love for technology and to teach the infinite possibilities one can achieve through the super powerful Samsung Galaxy Note9 in a creative way.

“Setting up the Samsung Smart Community Center at RPS Legap was a huge success and is something we have been proud of. But we realize that fostering a learning environment through technology goes beyond that, hence this little activity over the weekend. We are positive that the children have learned that technology is not just a tool to play games, but is something that has the power to bring out their potentials,” said Yoonsoo Kim, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics.

Children and volunteers having fun feeding raccoons at The Petting Zoo

Throughout the fun day out, the children took part in various activities around the theme park, with challenges involving the Galaxy Note9. Each challenge was meant to highlight a particular feature of the productivity smartphone, such as Super Slow-mo, taking selfies and doodling with the S Pen, and the camera’s Live Focus.

A team taking part in the “Doodle with S Pen” challenge at Lost World of Tambun

The children were led by volunteers from Samsung and with their guidance, they were able to produce gorgeous pictures and videos of themselves, the animals of the zoo, and the theme park. Various prizes were prepared for the best performing teams as well, which were taken back to the village to be shared and enjoyed.

Taking photos with Samsung Galaxy Note9 throughout the Love & Care program

That aside, Samsung was also on a mission to instill love and care for the surrounding environment of RSP Legap. Samsung volunteers and residents of the village participated in a tree-planting activity, giving the village people a significantly greener environment to live in.

Samsung volunteers planting trees in the surrounding area of RPS Legap

“While we wanted to show that technology is leading the way forward, we must also never forget the environment we live in. This tree-planting activity has impacted the village positively, but the most important thing about it is that it served as a reminder for all of us to care for the world we live in. I am proud of all participants and volunteers who participated in Samsung’s Love & Care program over the weekend and we look forward to more of this and giving back to the community,” added Mr. Kim.

Samsung Love & Care, previously known as Samsung’s Nanum Village initiative, has helped two orang asli villages through several activities over the last three years. The program commenced earlier in 2015 as part of Samsung’s local Corporate Citizenship efforts.

A fun afternoon at the Petting Zoo with the children from RPS Legap, Sungai Siput

Feeding activity at the Petting Zoo

The best selfie photo for the “Selfie with S Pen” challenge

The best photo for “Live Focus” challenge

This project is also a part of the annual Samsung Global Volunteer Festival held in October, a broader approach for Samsung employees to positively impact communities around them.

Source: Malaysia Newsroom

A group of girls engaged in programs in Plan International, one of the world’s leading child rights organizations, helped develop the idea that the smartphone should suggest empowering and positive words which would help them reach their full potential and break down stereotype barriers. Together, Plan International Finland and Samsung Electronics Nordics developed Sheboard. The keyboard uses a predictive text input to suggest a more diverse language when talking about girls or women to bring out their full capabilities.

Together with the young women, the team crowdsourced 2,500 empowering words, using AI to scan and analyze texts from female-empowering blogs and publications. Leveraging this database, the keyboard will suggest words for you that is meant to make the user react to what they have originally written, and change that for the better if needed. For example, Sheboard’s predictive text input will offer words such as “bold” and “intelligent” if you type in “girls are.”

“We talk differently to children depending on their gender. We talk to boys about their abilities, and to girls about their bodies,” said Ann-Birgitte Albrechtsen, CEO, Plan International. “We often don’t even realize when the words we choose strengthen stereotypes. Sheboard uses technology to help us reflect on – and change – the way we talk to and about girls by challenging the harmful gender norms that hold girls back. We want girls to be able to realize their full potential in the new digital era and Sheboard is a great tool to help us do that.”

While Sheboard isn’t the full solution to gender stereotypes, it’s a way to start thinking and reacting to the way we talk to and about girls with the help of our smartphones. Sheboard is the voice that reminds girls of everything they are.

“Digitalization and technologies are for everyone and should support an equal and inclusive society,” says Elin Wallberg, Head of Corporate Citizenship & Partnerships, Samsung Electronics Nordics. “Sheboard is a good example of how stereotypes can be addressed and discussed in practice. I am proud that Samsung has been part of developing Sheboard and supports breaking down barriers that could hold individuals back from reaching their full potential.”

The next step for Sheboard is a teaching material for schools in Norway and Finland that’s aimed for school children aged 13-18. There are plans to expand this to the rest of the Nordics and world later. This material helps students become aware of the gender stereotypes related to girls and boys, and encourages students to discuss how gender affects for example career choices and the impact of digitalization on women’s and girls’ lives around the world.

“Sheboard is intended for everyone, since gender equality is achieved by encouraging new ways of thinking and working,” said Salla Kuuluvainen, Education Planner, Plan International. “The teaching materials discuss how gender stereotypes occur in everyday life, for example in children’s toys and media, and by creating new kinds of princess fairy tales.”

As the world celebrates the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, Samsung Electronics continues to support gender equality through initiatives like Sheboard, Girls’ Day in Germany, employee volunteer programs, and various education programs around the world.

For more images and videos about Sheboard, visit: https://sheboard.com/en/media/.

^* Martens, Andy; Johns, Michael; Greenberg, Jeff; Schimelb, Jeff. 2006. Combating stereotype threat: The effect of self-affirmation on women’s intellectual performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 42(2), 236-243. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2005.04.010.

Kågesten, Anna; Gibbs, Susannah; Blum, Robert Wm; Moreau, Caroline; Chandra-Mouli, Venkatraman; Herbert, & Amin, Avni. 2016. Understanding Factors that Shape Gender Attitudes in Early Adolescence Globally: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review. Plos One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157805

Bian, Lin; Leslie, Sarah-Jane & Cimpian, Andrei. 2017.  Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interest. Science. Vol. 355, Issue 6323, 389-391. DOI: 10.1126/science.aah6524

^** Sheboard is available for free in English and Finnish on Google Play.

While a considerable proportion of the students at the refugee camp attend schools established by the Jordanian government, there are many who receive no formal schooling. The situation of these out-of-school children strikes at the heart of Samsung’s goals to provide equal opportunities in education to underserved communities and easier access to information and technology.

Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the smart schools offer students an engaging and creative approach to learning. The interactive learning environments give students the chance to learn about a variety of technology-related topics which will help them unleash their potential and creativity, including modern languages, social media, photography, filmmaking, art and painting.

The two smart schools are housed within Makani centers, which offer alternative education opportunities to those aged between 5 and 24. Founded by UNICEF, Makani centers emphasize a holistic approach for Syrian children and youths who have struggled with formal education in Jordan, offering learning opportunities, psychosocial support services and life skills training. By reengaging students in their education, Makani centers can provide a bridge back to formal education.

Changsup Lee, Samsung Electronics Levant President remarked, “We have a duty as part of the local community to help improve access to education in the Zaatari Camp. Though considerable effort has already been made to improve education in the Zaatari Camp, there is more work to be done and we are excited for the partnership with Relief International. These fully equipped smart schools will provide them with an engaging educational environment, allowing them to develop valuable life skills, which will ultimately broaden their knowledge and understanding.”

“At Samsung, we believe in what technology can achieve. Technology is a source of inspiration for those kids who need to build a brighter future. The ability to innovate is a valuable tool in building a normal life and will prepare them for a better, more hopeful future.”

“We have already seen children who were disinterested in formal schooling become highly engaged in creative and meaningful projects. Based on that enthusiasm, many have found the desire to further their formal schooling as well, realizing that gives them tools to achieve their dreams,” noted Nancy Wilson, CEO of Relief International. “These smart schools will provide very powerful tools for them to be creative in more ways, increase their collaboration and strive for even bigger dreams. We are proud to be partnering with Samsung on this leadership initiative.”

Established in 2013, Samsung’s Smart School program equips classrooms in underserved communities with cutting-edge educational tools – such as PCs, tablets and electronic blackboards – to create interactive learning environments that allow students to truly thrive. As of this writing, a total of over 3,000 Smart Schools are up and running in over 90 countries around the globe.

This is no different for the students of Samsung Hope School in Xinji County, Hebei Province, China, who dream of visiting faraway destinations like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, or going on exciting adventures, such as riding a roller coaster at an amusement park.

With a little help from Samsung Electronics, these children’s dreams are becoming a reality.

After interviewing students to determine their dream destinations, Samsung visited the sites that the children said they hoped to someday visit and recorded them with the Gear 360 camera. The students were then able to virtually experience the landmarks in 360 degrees via Gear VR headsets, and thus get closer to the places and people they’ve always dreamed of.

Perhaps the most touching ‘dream come true’ was when a young boy was able to watch a video message from his mother who works some 700 kilometers away from the small town to earn money for the family. The boy, who hasn’t seen his mother for over a year, was even more overwhelmed to see her sitting across from him when his headset was removed.

Watch the heartwarming event unfold and learn more about one of the ways Samsung is working to improve access to education in remote and often underserved regions.

A drive to uplift people’s way of life is deeply rooted at Samsung, which is why on March 21, more than 60 Samsung Thailand volunteers made 700-kilometer trip from Bangkok to Sangkhom, a small district in Thailand’s Nong Khai province, to help a community in need through the ‘Samsung Love and Care’ campaign.

They were joined by representatives of Power Pro (Northeastern) Co., Ltd., a local distribution partner of Samsung’s, and volunteers from the World Vision Foundation of Thailand (WVFT), a child-focused organization that recently opened an office in Nong Khai. The welfare-improving initiative provided Sangkhom’s Bann Nong School with the first form of charitable assistance it had never received, and marked the first CSR activity organized in the area by a private company.

The goal of Samsung Love and Care is to enrich underprivileged communities across Southeast Asia and Oceania by improving their quality of life, particularly with regard to education and the environment. Samsung Thailand has participated in the initiative since its inception, regularly organizing efforts to offer communities in different corners of the country a helping hand.

The students of Bann Nong School, volunteers and teachers worked together to renovate the school, repaint murals, and plant a garden and refurbish another, which will eventually serve as a fruitful food source as part of a garden-to-table school lunch program.

Samsung Thailand volunteers also taught the students how to use the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet to benefit their studies – a demonstration that drew plenty of smiles and laughs and also promoted technology literacy.

At the end of the event, Samsung gave each student and teacher a souvenir, and volunteers shared their impressions of the day’s memorable activities.

“Alongside my daily duties, it is my honor today to serve as a volunteer who was able to do something good for others in need,” said Mr. Nitipont Khongkiattikul, an employee of Samsung Thailand’s AV Business team. “The most essential thing that fuels my heart is the smiles of children, as both our side and theirs has a golden opportunity to share happiness. This truly is a mutual, impressive bliss.”

Samsung Electronics Italy participates for the first time to the Italian Film & Art Festival, an annual event that has now reached its 8^th edition, organized by Italcinema to present Italian latest films and culture to Korean people in order to promote the cultural exchange between the two countries. Italian Film & Art Festival will take place in Seoul from November 11^th to November 14^th at Monaco Space (Gangam) in Seoul.

During the Festival, Samsung Electronics representatives together with Maria Sole Tognazzi, a very famous Italian director, will introduce Women Run the Show, a new corporate citizenship initiative realised by Samsung in Italy in collaboration with Telefono Rosa, the Italian Women’s National Association, to help women who suffered violence to start over and be independent again.

More than 200 guests will attend the event, including the Italian Ambassador in South Korea, Marco Della Seta, and all the main representatives of Italian associations and companies, together with film-makers and cinema reviewers who will have the occasion not only to hear about the initiative directly from Samsung Italia but also to watch Women Run the Show commercial, a video advertisement directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi and a documentary to raise awareness about violence on women, phenomenon which is more and more common in Italy and all over the world.

DH Kim, VP Global Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics says: “We are honoured to be here today and to participate for the first time to such an important event for Seoul. Italian Film & Art Festival goal is to create a special bond among two different cultures and countries, Italy and Korea:  that’s exactly what Samsung wants to do in Italy. Since 1991, when Samsung arrived in our country, we have given a concrete contribution to improve Italians everyday life and to support the socio-economic  and cultural growth of Italy, through our corporate citizenship programs. Women Run The Show is just the latest of our initiative”.

Maria Sole Tognazzi, Director, says: “Taking part in Women Run The Show was one of the best experiences of my career as a director. I dedicated all myself to them so that they could feel free to express what they had in their mind and create. These ten women who have found the strength to say “Stop, that’s enough” have been helped by Telefono Rosa and, thanks to the support of Samsung, have been able to get not only a video but I hope a new life, I mean, a new journey”.

What is Women Run The Show

Women violence is a real and increasing issue: in Italy there are about 6 million women who suffered violence during their life, representing 31% of women aged between 16 and 70 years old. Samsung Electronics Italy, operating in the country from 25 years, and being present, through its devices, in millions of Italian houses has decide to actively co-operate with Telefono Rosa to bring the public opinion aware of this issue and do something concrete though the project Women Run The Show.

Women Run The Show is the new corporate social responsibility project created by Samsung Electronics in Italy in collaboration with Telefono Rosa, the main Italian non-profit association that helps women who suffered violence, supported by the Department of Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. The project consists of helping women, who were victim of domestic violence, to start over thanks to psychological support and job trainings that allowed them to get their independence again and start a brand new life.

Samsung and Telefono Rosa helped these women through a motivational and job training path, customised in all its phases according to women’s inclinations and attitude, with the aim of reinforcing their strength and confidence, together with a concrete support in all those practical activities (eg child care during class attendance, payment of the rent of the house and utilities) that a mother should be able to do besides her job.

A commercial directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi has been recorded with the first 10 ladies involved in the project in order to raise awareness on this serious phenomenon and to involve other companies that, through their support, can help many other women. In fact Samsung doesn’t want to be alone in this campaign and  wants to involve other companies and brand in this project: together with Telefono Rosa wants to involve other prestigious brands and companies with the goal to create a network to help many other women.

The first phase of this project has already seen the involvement of other companies (i.e. professional and skills trainings) such as: Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori, Eataly, Delia Beauty, Novomatic, Link HR professional solutions. More company will join the project more opportunities will be created for women with difficulties.

A documentary has also been realised to explain the project and to know the first ten women that felt ready to have a fresh start.

Programme of the Italian Film & Art Festival

http://www.italianfilmfestival.kr/schedule/

For more information about Women Run The Show please visit:

http://wrts.telefonorosa.it/

About Telefono Rosa (Women’s National Association)

Women’s National Association named “Telefono Rosa” Onlus was born in 1988 to make a research to bring out, through the direct voice of women, violence “submerged”. As of today, more than 700,000 women have contacted Telefono Rosa to receive help. Telefono Rosa provides these women with listening and reception, free legal advice and assistance, psychological counselling, support for parenthood, training and updating courses.  Since 2012 the association has promoted the Anti-Stalking free toll number (1522) to help women who suffer repeated harassing behavior such as stalking, threats, continuous phone calls, unwanted text messages, letters and unsolicited messages, verbal abuse, damages to their property.

Samsung and Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS) celebrate six years of a partnership that aims to promote sustainable involvement, environmental conservation and improvement of the quality of life on the riverside communities of the State of Amazonas. In 2014, the South Korean multinational company became the Provider Partner of the Education Program, which includes direct support to four Conservation and Sustainability Centers (NCS, its acronym in Brazilian Portuguese) and complementary programs.

The main initiatives implemented by FAS, with support from Samsung, are directed towards expanding and qualifying the communities’ offering in public health and education services. “Samsung produces innovations that create positive changes to people around the globe. The company’s participation in FAS’ projects reinforces two company priorities, which are education and sustainability,” highlights Helvio Kanamaru, Senior Manager for Corporate Citizenship of Samsung Latin America.

The projects Samsung stimulates are founded on three pillars: economic development, with the objective of generating income for the communities; social factor which seeks to make feasible the citizen’s inclusion in society; and sustainability and conservation of the environment. This year, the NCS registered 562 enrolled students, interested in participating in projects that point towards professional qualification, entrepreneurship, early childhood care, knowledge exchange, incentive to reading, recycling of solid wastes and agro ecological practices, just to name a few.

“We have also created a Samsung School in the Amazonian region as part of our technological innovation project in the education field. The complex installed in the community Três Unidos, in APA do Rio Negro, offers a school structure with bedrooms and canteen that serve students and professors from elementary schools, high schools and education for young people and adults. We are proud to contribute with improvements in the daily life of these communities,” Helvio Kanamaru adds.

Outstanding Projects

In 2016, there were outstanding complementary initiatives in communication, incentive to reading and solid waste management:

• Samsung Mix community radio

Created this year, Samsung Mix radio is conducted weekly by students from “Samsung State School”, which participate in photography workshops, technique and structure for newspaper features and agenda meeting. The radio created by the Forest Report Project, conducted in Núcleos Agnello Uchoa Bittencourt, Assy Manana, Yamamay and Samuel Benchimol, involves over 60 students from 14 communities. The program also counts on a Lovejoy community radio, which is conducted weekly by students from Escola Estadual Thomas Eugene Lovejoy, aside from producing newspapers that circulate in the riverside communities. The newspaper features produced by young people are disclosed at FAS’ website: http://fas-amazonas.org/reporteres-da-floresta/.

• Reading Incentive Project

From March to August this year, the Environmental Protection Area (APA, acronym in Brazilian Portuguese) of Rio Negro and the Sustainable Development Reservation (RDS) of Juma received the Reading Incentive Project, with the objective of taking art and education to students of these localities. In the implementation period, the project mobilized 120 students, 12 professors and 20 communities of 2 reservations, aside from having distributed over 130 books.

• Solid Waste Management

In the first semester of 2016, a Solid Waste management project was conducted at RDS Puranga Conquista. Around 1.7 kg of solid wastes were removed from the environment of eight reservation communities. The material was rightly destined to Cooperativa Arpa, in Manaus. A new withdrawal and weighing is planned for October.

Other Initiatives of Samsung in the Amazon Rainforest

In 2014, Samsung launched four specialization courses through the Graduate Non-Degree Program of the Escola Superior de Tecnologia (EST) for engineers who operate at the Manaus Industrial Center: Specialization in Mechanical Manufacturing Processes and Technologies; Specialization in Mobile and Convergent Systems in Mobile Telephony; Specialization in Industrial Mechatronics, and Specialization in New Product Development. The company also invested in the installation of five laboratories for these specializations’ practical classes.

In that same year, Samsung began the activities of the Ocean Center of Manaus – a free training center for developers of applications for smartphones, tablets, PCs and Smart TVs, among other products. The structure is located at the facilities of the Universidade Estadual do Amazonas (UEA).

About Fundação Amazonas Sustentável

The Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS) is a non-governmental, non-profit Brazilian organization of state public utility. It was created on December 20^th, 2007, through a partnership between the State Government of Amazonas and Banco Bradesco. FAS’ mission is to promote sustainable involvement, environmental conservation and improvement of quality of life of the State of Amazonas’ riverside communities. The main initiatives are implemented through the Forest Bag Program (PBF, acronym in Brazilian Portuguese), Education and Health Program (PES), and Innovative Solutions Program (PSI).

This month, UNV is launching its new Online Volunteering service from Brazil to the world and in collaboration with Samsung Latin America Office.

Brazil has been selected as the location for the global launch as the country ranks #4 worldwide for the number of UN Online Volunteers and has a high potential for growth in online volunteering activities in general. Brazil has always been very supportive of Volunteerism as well as of South-South cooperation within and between regions, cooperation that UNV’s Online Volunteering service facilitates. Lastly, inclusive multi-stakeholder partnerships have emerged as a necessity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the first private sector partner of the Online Volunteering service is based in Brazil (Samsung Electronics Latin American Office).

The adoption of the SDG is a unique opportunity to shift to a development agenda that is more transformative, universal, inclusive and sustainable.  In this regard, UNV wants to leverage its long experience in citizen engagement and technology based solutions to ensure volunteers and volunteerism of all forms are part of the SDGs implementation.

UNV recognizes that online volunteering is a global force for change. The global launch event will be an opportunity to discover how organizations and volunteers can team up online to effectively address challenges to sustainable development– anywhere in the world. At the event, UNV will unveil the new Online Volunteering service website, which provides volunteers and organizations across the globe with an even faster, more inclusive and more appealing way to connect with each other and to join forces for peace and development.

Together with the redesigned website, UNV will launch two additional services.  The 1-click query will allow organizations to reach out to half a million people to provide real-time data for their projects. UNV will also launch its new employee online volunteering solution for global companies, together with Samsung, its first official partner for this service.

“We are very proud to establish this unprecedented partnership with UNV. For us, from Samsung, it represents a great and innovative step in our commitment with volunteering actions, already practiced by the Company for over 20 years”, highlights Francisco Cuesta, vice-president of Human Resources and Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Latin America.

Press Conference (Global Launch in Brasilia)

Date: July, 15^th (Friday)

Time: 2:00 pm

Venue: Brasil 21 Convention Center (foyer and auditorium)

Participants:

• Richard Dictus, UNV Executive Coordinator
• Peter Poschen, United Nations Resident Coordinator, ad interim
• Márcio Correia, Brazilian Agency for Cooperation General Coordinator
• Francisco Cuesta, vice-president of Human Resources and Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Latin America
• Dirk Brengelmann, Germany’s Ambassador to Brazil
• Representative of an organization which has already utilized the Online Volunteering service with great success
• Karol Arámbula, UN Online Volunteer

About United Nations Volunteers

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Samsung works with partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well-supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism. UNV is active in around 130 countries every year. With Field Presences in over 80 countries, UNV is represented worldwide. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and reports to the UNDP Executive Board. UNV was created by the UN General Assembly in 1970 and has operated in Brazil since 1998.

Samsung Electronics Colombia today unveiled the NOMADA Smart School, a portable learning environment which gives the opportunity to Colombian children to use Samsung technology to create, innovate and have fun in different regions of the country in their learning process.

The Samsung Smart School program, in its third year of operation in Colombia, enhances the learning process of students enrolled in public schools by providing new technologies and equipment while making the educational environment more intuitive, interactive and efficient. Its goal is to use technology to influence the learning environment by creating a different dynamic in which teachers and students retain a horizontal relationship rather than a hierarchical one.

“The next step in this experience is to replicate the Smart School environment around the country – in both rural and urban areas,” says César Muñoz, Corporate Citizenship manager at Samsung Electronics Colombia. “If it’s difficult for some children to get to their classrooms, why can’t the classrooms just go and find them?”

NOMADA was created to be a mobile learning environment that is fun, flexible and playful. “With Samsung’s technology,” Muñoz added, “the traditional classroom becomes a two-way learning environment that includes everything that we, in the last three years of research with Smart School, have learned about how to positively develop different learning processes through innovative technology”.

Transporting Knowledge through ‘Maloca’

The portable ‘Maloca’ (hut) classroom, designed by Samsung Electronics, replicates the experience of learning in an established Smart School. It is equipped with a 32″ monitor, tablet PCs, tables, rugs and cushions designed for collaborative work. Emulating the interactions of Colombian nomadic tribe culture, children and young people can gather around in a circle to share knowledge.

The NOMADA structure is transportable in order to share the experience with learners in different locations. The classroom can also record memorable stories from learners that it has previously encountered, allowing students to explore different communities and cultures and have new experiences.

Meeting the Needs of Each Community

Samsung has worked with local partners to identify the communities where the classroom can have a positive impact and developed a strategy and curriculum that will allow NOMADA to adapt to the educational objectives of each community with a touch of fun. Samsung is currently collaborating with the Medellin Public Utilities Company Foundation (EPM Foundation), the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Colciencias) and the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF).

Each NOMADA unit travels with a teaching facilitator, who is trained by Samsung.  By the end of 2016, the company plans to have eight NOMADA units traveling to different communities around Colombia.