Our
Impact

Skills Upload Jr is uniting 9 countries with the same commitment: to promote the good use of technology and raise awareness of all the opportunities it opens up for young people’s future.

The programme has already significantly improved students' digital skills, creativity, and reasoning abilities.

Additionally, it has strengthened collaboration and participation in the classroom, fostering a more dynamic and interactive environment for learning.

Since 2021 we have:

Reached

students

Trained more than

teachers

Stories of impact

Greece

During the COVID-19 quarantine, two students from Komotini, (Greece), embarked on an extraordinary journey of innovation and community service. Despite the thousands of miles separating them (one of them was in South Africa), the young people harnessed the power of online collaboration to participate in the 2nd Generation Next National Competition, organised by Vodafone Foundation in Greece. They developed an app to raise awareness of the importance of voluntary blood donation.

Moreover, they helped their central hospital register urgent blood needs, which in turn generated pop-up notifications for users, streamlining the blood donation process.

Their initiative and hard work paid off, as they won first prize in the competition, which served as a springboard for further collaboration with other cities and hospitals in Greece.

After graduating from high school, the duo continued their studies in STEM fields and their exceptional contributions earned them a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. They also attracted the attention of the Greek Ministry of Health.

The programme not only changed their lives, but also enabled them to have a significant social impact.

Italy

During a hackathon organised by Vodafone Foundation in Italy, a group of high school students from Lecco, Italy, developed a digital application, ReFoodly, to implement effective strategies to help reduce food waste and promote responsible use of food resources. Through the app, users can monitor the expiration date of every product in their refrigerator and find recipes or suggestions on how to use the expiring product. In addition, the app notifies the users when a product is about to expire so that they can use de product before it becomes unusable.

This group used the resources and learnings acquired through LV8 to develop this innovative idea. From the concept to the business plan, logo and social media management, they managed to win the Hackathon.

Now ReFoodly is a reality and is available in the Italian App Store, demonstrating the practical and entrepreneurial outcomes fostered by the programme.

Spain

The story of the Miguel Servet public school, a rural school in the Pyrenees with just one classroom of less than 10 students, is truly one-of-a-kind.

A few years ago, it was on the verge of closing due to a lack of students, but now, the school has attracted families who transfer their children from other nearby towns. All thanks to DigiCraft, which has been a turning point for the school.

“The programme’s methodology, its collaborative approach and the use of technology motivate the students and facilitate their inclusion by allowing to adapt it to their pace and learning capacities in a classroom where students from 7 to 12 years old live together. Also, the resources provided by the programme have been essential in the school's digital transformation, and the annual challenges have given them the opportunity to be connected with students from all over the country. The access to the programme and its resources means that these children are not left out and have the same opportunities as children from bigger communities”
- Virginia, teacher at the Miguel Servet Public School in Spain

Our partners

Collaboration is part of our DNA.

We work locally and globally with different partners:

  • Public Institutions

  • NGOs

  • Universities and schools

  • Private Sector

Working with our partners towards a common goal is key to ensuring the success of Skills Upload Jr and the growth of all parties involved.

This public-private collaboration not only allows us to reach a broader audience but also contributes to a systemic change across the region, in a sustainable and lasting manner. Our goal is for this transformation to be universal and benefit society as a whole.

This collaboration makes us stronger, makes us better.

Spain Portugal Italy Romania Germany Netherlands Turkey Albania Greece

Partners in Spain

Skills Upload Jr in Spain

Partners in Portugal

Skills Upload Jr in Portugal

Partners in Italy

Skills Upload Jr in Italy

Partners in Greece

Skills Upload Jr in Greece

Partners in Albania

Skills Upload Jr in Albania

Partners in Turkey

Skills Upload Jr in Turkey

Partners en Germany

Skills Upload Jr in Germany

Partners in Netherlands

Skills Upload Jr in Netherlands

Partners in Romania

Skills Upload Jr in Romania

Testimonies

"We used innovative methodologies to develop students' digital skills through games and experiments. 'Digital Adventure' interactive activities, in which they used the Merge cube to visualise dinosaurs in augmented reality, stimulated their creativity and imagination."

- Iulia Caba, speech therapist at the School Centre for Inclusive Education in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

"I considered that all assignment proposals were appropriate to the student age level and were pedagogically relevant, meeting the student essential school profile, both in terms of ICT and other curricular areas. Interdisciplinarity was prioritised. It encouraged interest and motivation in students and allow them to contact with various digital platforms. It was very good.”

- Teacher at Agrupamento de Escolas de Arganil, Portugal.

"Through LV8 students develop STEM, social, digital and entrepreneurship skills. My students have developed four of the eight key competences for lifelong learning recommended by the Council of the European Union in 2018".

- Ersilia Pagano of Istituto Istruzione Superiore Nitti (Portici, Italy).

"The project has made the learning processes more interesting for the students and has also contributed significantly to my professional development. Realising their potential and seeing that they can develop their own work in this field contributed greatly to the development of their skills".

- Nur Cagla Akkaleli Toprak, teacher in Istanbul, Turkey.

"Students have shown greater enthusiasm for subjects traditionally considered difficult, such as physics, thanks to the Next Generation programme. We were particularly surprised by the emergence of innovative ideas from students, driven by their new commitment to STEM skills."

- Antonia Kaloudi-Hatzea, teacher in Gytheion, Greece.

"Children who initially had no basic programming skills are now able to create their own computer games, thanks to Coding For Tomorrow."

- Markus Kohlstädde, teacher at a special needs school in Germany.

"The constant offer of Online Masters lessons helps to raise childrens' awareness. They understand that digital literacy is an important topic at school. The children are very participative, open and honest. They enjoy sharing their experiences online."

- Rob van Deel, teacher at De Zonnewijzer Primary School (Netherlands).

"DigiCraft has allowed us to improve our application of technology in class, and helps our students to work in teams, creatively, and realise that their ideas are valid. We have seen a great improvement in their self-esteem".

- Virginia Mª Blanco, teacher at the Miguel Servet public school (Aragón, Spain), one of the winners of the DigiCraft Super Challenge 2024 – Teachers’ edition .

Recognition of our work

Europe

At the European level, SUJ has been a finalist in the European Digital Skills Awards 2024, which recognises and promotes the outstanding work of organisations throughout Europe that have contributed to the advancement of digital skills through their projects, programmes and initiatives.

Spain

In Spain, DigiCraft received the Educational Innovation 2024 award from the Fundación Trébol Educación, in the category of Foundations with an Impact on Education, and in 2023 was awarded the 'Digital Talent Development' prize at the 6th ABB Ability Awards: Digitisation and Sustainability.

Germany

In Germany, we won the Educational Media Award “Pädagogischer Medienpreis” in 2023 for the educational campaigns developed by Vodafone Foundation in Germany as part of its education initiative.

Portugal

In Portugal, DigitALL has received several recognitions. In 2023, it was awarded the World Summit Awards (WSA) in the education category, and was shortlisted worldwide, reaching the top 8 finalists. In 2022, the programme was honoured at the Annual Gala of the Portuguese Association for Business Ethics (APEE) with the Recognition of Practices in Social Responsibility and Sustainability in the Community category.

Greece

In Greece, we have received several recognitions from the Hellenic Responsible Business Awards. In 2023 we were awarded the Gold Award for our cooperation with the Hellenic Open University (EAP) for developing an education programme focused on digital skills for teachers; in 2024 and 2022 we won the Silver Awards in the category Digital Education & Skills.

Romania

In Romania, we have received since launching several awards and recognitions that we are proud of: Partner in Education Recognition at Junior Achievement Romania 30th Anniversary, Community Impact Awards at British Romanian Chamber of Commerce, Excellence in CSR at Business Review Awards 2023.

Italy

Also in Italy, Vodafone Foundation has received several awards over the years. The most recent award was for its LV8 program: in 2023, the app was recognized by the CEOforLIFE Awards 2023 in the 'Social Impact' category for its focus on communities and its contribution to the social and economic well-being of people, thus building a more equitable and inclusive society.