OTP Bank announced the winners of the eighth cycle of the Generator program, which this year was dedicated to improving financial literacy among children and young people, under the symbolic name Generator EDU
The winners were selected in two categories: in the startup and civil sector categories, Artemi Studios d.o.o. was awarded. for the “Kumadio” project, while in the category of educational workers, the team of female teachers of the “Sava Šumanović” Gymnasium from Šid won with the “KešKOD: Discover the secrets of finance” project. The winning teams were awarded, among other things, a sum of money in the total value of two million dinars.
The “Kumadio” project is an innovative application for interactive audio books intended for children. The goal of this solution is to transform passive listening into active learning using voice recognition technology and screen interaction. Behind the idea are Vojislav and Mihailo, young entrepreneurs united by a common passion for digital technology and the desire to bring educational content, with a special focus on financial literacy, to the Alpha generation in the most natural way for them: through the video format and style they know from YouTube.
“We realized that children reach for books less and less and that new solutions are needed that will motivate them to learn and discover the world around them. That’s how “Kumadio” was born, which makes learning fun and acquiring knowledge in the field of finance accessible and interesting. Our plan is to use the award in the coming period for the development and writing of new content and the creation of a larger number of high-quality interactive books. The final was challenging for us – we were very nervous and wanted everything to be perfect. We would recommend the generator to all innovators, not only because of the rewards, but also because of the quality mentoring process that helps to precisely shape ideas and direct them to real needs. We believe that such projects can have a long-term positive impact on society, because financial literacy acquired at an early age lays the foundation for responsible and stable management of personal finances in the future,” the founders of the startup Artemi Studios emphasize.
The second winning solution in the category of educators comes from the “Sava Šumanović” Gymnasium in Šid, where professors Zorica David, Tijana Dabić and Gordana Pavlović designed the “KešKOD: Discover the Secrets of Finance” project. Their approach does not start from definitions and theory, but from a simple but important question: “How do you spend your money?” Through this project, students do not learn by heart concepts such as interest, credit or savings, but through practical work – from creating content for social networks and conducting workshops for younger people, to participating in team challenges – they develop understanding and interest in financial literacy.
“Of course we wanted to win, but we didn’t expect it. We got acquainted with the projects of the other finalists and all the ideas were of exceptional quality – we must praise our colleagues. Our idea was created in cooperation with the students and we primarily represent them here, because this success is shared. The Generator EDU competition was exactly what schools in Serbia lack – an opportunity to connect theory with real life, to apply knowledge through concrete situations. In this sense, the financial support of OTP Bank and the mentoring process are of great importance. Already with the beginning of a new school In 2018, we plan to implement the project, in order to enable our students to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to enter the world of adults in an interesting and close to them way”, the authors of the project from the Gymnasium in Šid point out.
The decision on the winners was made by an expert jury made up of project partners – the Youth Achievement organization, which is also a strategic partner of Generator EDU, as well as Mastercard, Nordeus Foundation, Belgrade Open School, PwC, ICT Hub, Center for the Promotion of Science, Booka Publishing House, Serbian Philanthropic Forum, Trag Foundation and Inspira Group, with the participation of representatives of OTP Bank.
Although the finalists presented extremely high-quality and innovative solutions, the jury decided on the winners based on clearly defined criteria. The focus of the evaluation was the feasibility and sustainability of the ideas, i.e. a clear resource plan and the realistic possibility of implementation within six months, with the potential for further growth and development of the solution together with its users. Confirmation of the quality and importance of this program is the fact that Generator EDU received the approval of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia.
“Financial education is a natural and important topic for OTP banka – it is one of the foundations of our business, but also an area in which we strive to continuously provide our contribution. The Generator EDU competition was a further step in that direction. We wanted to involve the wider community, educators, startups and organizations from the civil sector, in order to come up with new, creative ways to improve financial literacy among children and young people together. More than a hundred applications, as well as the extremely high quality of the proposed solutions, showed how good the competition was.” needed and how much potential there is in our society when knowledge, innovation and enthusiasm come together”, points out Milica Babić, leading consultant for communications, CSR and sustainability at OTP banka.
As in previous cycles, OTP banka awarded the best solutions this year as well – with a total fund in the amount of two million dinars. The team of professors of the “Sava Šumanović” Gymnasium from Šid received 200,000 dinars personally, while an additional 800,000 dinars was provided for the implementation of the project at the school. Startup Artemi Studios d.o.o. an amount of one million dinars was allocated for further development and implementation of the solution.
In addition to financial support, all finalists also received visibility – their projects were presented through the Generator website, social networks and traditional media, organized and at the expense of OTP Bank. In addition, the project partners provided mentoring and advisory support to the teams that made it to the finals, and in some cases additional financial assistance, which will help them in the further realization of their ideas and leave a lasting mark on the education of future generations.
GENERATOR – ENGINE OF POSITIVE CHANGES
OTP banka launched Generator in 2017 with the aim of providing an answer to one of the current needs of society through each cycle. It quickly became the answer to the key challenges we face – it was one of the first to help small and medium-sized businesses to introduce digital changes in their business, but also one of those that helped entrepreneurs overcome the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The previous two cycles, called Generator ZERO, focused on startups, micro and small businesses with innovative solutions that reduce the carbon footprint, which was a unique competition of its kind. To date, Generator has supported almost 100 great and original ideas, and the number of applications is growing with each cycle, which clearly indicates how much this program is needed by innovators. Winning four prestigious awards only confirms his status and success. Generator is more than a competition – it is a symbol of innovation, sustainability and positive change shaping our future.