The “Tekwill Junior Ambassadors” competition announced its winners! 67 teams from 30 schools across the country put their digital skills and creativity in practice, developing original and inventive projects for the competition. Whether they chose to create book covers and bookmarks, the visual tourist identity of a locality or the visual identity of a local company, the winning teams were awarded with different digital gadgets and promotional materials. The competition was available to students and teachers from educational institutions that are part of the “Tekwill in Every School” project and are studying the optional subject of “Graphic Design” in the academic year 2020-2021. “Tekwill Junior Ambassadors” took place with the financial support provided by the United States Agency for International Development, the Government of Sweden, EU4Moldova and UNDP Moldova, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova.
Scott Hocklander, Director of the USAID Mission in Moldova: “Well-educated young people are able to build a safer future for themselves, their families, their communities and their country. It is exciting to see so many original ideas and how the students used the technology and new skills developed to make a difference in the community. Congratulations to all the teachers who guided these students throughout the competition. USAID Moldova is implementing projects for young people from all over Moldova to provide them with more employment opportunities. The education system should enable all young people to obtain an education enabling them to develop the skills needed to be effective members of society.”
Anna Lyberg, Swedish Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova: “I was glad to see all these creative projects from the students. And I am also glad to see that more than half of the participants are girls who play an active role in the competition and aspire to become future digital ambassadors. It makes me believing that these young people can bring added value to the future of Moldova and more color and a new visual identity for localities and organizations in Moldova. Together with USAID, Sweden has been a leading partner in the development of the IT sector of the Republic of Moldova. I believe that education is the key answer to the prosperity of any country. Through programs such as “Tekwill in Every School”, students across the country have the opportunity to develop their skills and become better prepared for the challenges and demands of the job market.”
Ana Chirita, Director, Strategic Projects, ATIC: “The projects we saw in the competition show us that, since school days, young people develop excellent IT skills. We want to continue to help them develop and get involved as much in the projects we prepare. When we started the “Tekwill in Every School” training program, our goal was to help them better understand information technologies and discover the opportunities that this field can offer everyone. The results show that we have succeeded!”
Between March 03 and April 21, students of upper secondary and high schools had the opportunity to participate in the competition in teams of 2-4 persons, presenting original products in one of the three categories of the regulation. The projects were presented online, being made, at their discretion, in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Inkscape or GIMP software. The submitted files were evaluated by a specialized jury. Prizes were offered for each thematic subcategory and for each level of school education (upper secondary and high school). Thus, for the Ist place, each member of the winning team got a tablet, for the IInd place – an e-book, and the winners of the IIIrd place – a pair of bluetooth headphones. At the same time, all members of the participating teams received “Tekwill in Every School” branded promotional materials.
The winners of the competition are:
“Book covers and bookmarks” category
The Ist place
Upper secondary school level: Inspiră team, Private Institution “Da Vinci” High School, Chisinau municipality;
High school level: Design Addicts team, “Aristotle” Republican Theoretical High School, Chisinau municipality;
The IInd place
Upper secondary school level: Future Generation team, “Miron Costin” Theoretical High School, Floresti town;
High school level: Panda team, Magdacesti Theoretical High School, Criuleni district;
The IIIrd place
Upper secondary school level: Vivid team, “Eugen Coseriu” Upper Secondary School, Catranic village, Falesti district;
High school level: Brawl Stars team, “Mesterul Manole” Theoretical High School, Salcuta village, Causeni district;
“Tourist visual identity” category
The Ist place
Upper secondary school level: Inari team, “Magdacesti” Theoretical High School, Criuleni district;
High school level: Galateea team, “Mihail Sadoveanu” Theoretical High School, Calarasi district;
The IInd place
Upper secondary school level: Luceafar team, Private Institution “Da Vinci” High School, Chisinau municipality;
High school level: Pro Team, “Pro Succes” Theoretical High School, Chisinau municipality;
The IIIrd place
Upper secondary school level: DEV team, “Socrate” High School of Modern Languages and Information Technologies, Chisinau municipality;
High school level: Special Elite team, “Mihail Sadoveanu” Theoretical High School, Calarasi town;
“Visual identity of a local micro, small and medium-sized company” category
The Ist place
Upper secondary school level: Real Design team, “Mihail Sadoveanu” Theoretical High School, Calarasi town;
High school level: Initiators team, “Mihai Eminescu” Theoretical High School, Causeni town;
The IInd place
Upper secondary school level: Team Panda team, “Socrate” High School of Modern Languages and Information Technologies, Chisinau municipality;
High school level: AMIGAS team, “Mihai Eminescu” Theoretical High School, Causeni town;
The IIIrd place
Upper secondary school level: SMART team, “Mihai Sadoveanu” Theoretical High School, Calarasi town;
High school level: Lagom team, “Stefan Voda” Theoretical High School, Stefan Voda town;
Tatiana Alexeev, “Tekwill in Every School” Project Manager: “Through the “Tekwill Junior Ambassadors” competition, we aimed to identify and promote the development of digital and creative skills among students, so that they are better prepared for the professions of the future. At the same time, we want to motivate them to participate in other competitions that we organize regularly, to give them the opportunity to test their abilities and make them understand all the opportunities and benefits offered by information technologies. We thank all the participants and encourage them to follow us on our Facebook page to be up to date with the latest news and events we are preparing.”
Currently, the “Tekwill in Every School” project is being implemented in 77 general education institutions throughout the Republic of Moldova, and the number of members will increase to 234 schools starting with the new school year.
About “Tekwill in Every School”
The development of the “Tekwill in Every School” project was possible by mobilizing the financial efforts of the private sector and the citizens of Moldova or the diaspora (within the crowdfunding campaign of the TwentyTu project, which started in 2018), as well as external development partners – USAID Moldova, Sweden, EU4Moldova and UNDP Moldova. The project is also being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research. In the long term, the project aims to enhance the human capital of the Republic of Moldova and to raise a generation of people to create at home, in Moldova, products and services that meet national and global socio-economic challenges.
