The WMG Foundation is actively engaged in empowering girls and women and supports the projects of partner organizations working on this issue. This time, the Foundation supported International Girls in ICT Day, an event held at the Palace of Science, organised for the 15th consecutive year by the Association of Businesswomen of Serbia, with the aim of empowering girls in choosing future professions, encouraging them not to succumb to stereotypes but to be guided by their own interests and talents.
Following opening addresses by Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Branka Pudrlja Durbaba, Director at A1 Serbia, and Olivera Popović, Vice President of the Association of Businesswomen of Serbia, a panel discussion was held under the title “Choose Bravely: Empowering Girls for the Future”, featuring Irena Petrović, Director of the WMG Foundation, Gordana Knežević Orlić, Director of Klett Publishing House, Ivan Štibl, founder of the website Ćalac, and Slađana Radović from Elektromreža Srbije.
The most important part of the event was the announcement of the winners of the “Catch the Idea” competition and the awarding of prizes to the winners. For the first time this year, instead of video works, the teams of girls competed in programming. This year, 51 teams from 29 schools registered for the competition, with the task of creating projects using block programming and Python code. In fierce competition, first place went to the animation titled “Darija in the World of Atoms” by the team from The Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Primary School in Sremska Mitrovica. Second place went to the team from The Dositej Obradović Primary School in Vrba, Kraljevo, with the video game “Kefalice”; third place to the video game “Eco Heroes: Clean Planet Mission” by the team from The Banović Strahinja Primary School in Belgrade; fourth place to the video game “Dasha – Plastic in the Ocean” from The Sveti Sava Primary School in Belgrade; and fifth place to the video game “Let’s Clean the Ocean Together” from the team at The Stevan Sremac Primary School in Dobanovci. Valuable prizes were awarded to the winning teams.
Olivera Popović, Vice President of the Association of Businesswomen of Serbia and the initiator of this event, emphasized the significance of the occasion: “At a time when they are taking their first steps in choosing a professional path, the ‘Catch the Idea’ competition, visits by girls to companies, and meetings with entrepreneurs, managers and successful women, which the Association organizes in marking International Girls in ICT Day, are held to encourage girls to turn towards more in-demand, promising, better positioned and better paid careers.”
Irena Petrović, Director of the WMG Foundation, stated on this occasion that she was proud that the WMG Foundation was part of an initiative that opens doors for girls towards careers in technology.
“We believe that such events have a long-term impact on society and inspire new generations of female leaders. Our mission is to continuously create opportunities for girls and women to educate themselves, grow and gain strength in fields that shape the future – such as the ICT sector. Through supporting such programmes, we want to send a clear message: the world of technology is for everyone, and diversity and balance are the keys to success,” concluded Petrović.
