The Future Match for Children
Teaching children English and technology to foster future possibilites / Lviv, Ukraine, 2020.
A wrap-up
Initiated by MatchOffice CEO Jakob Dalhoff, the "Future Match" project, implemented by the MatchOffice team, aims to provide children from disadvantaged families residing in Lviv orphanages with the technologies and resources needed for learning English.
Given the crucial role the knowledge of English plays in today's professional communities, the project's main goal is to showcase to the children the stack of personal and professional opportunities looming on the horizon for those who know how to communicate internationally.
Over the course of 5 years, 5,000 children will become the project participants, being exposed to a progressive English learning program coupled with extensive use of mobile technology. This shall help them boost their self-esteem, socialization skills, and educational abilities. The pilot phase of the project started in September 2020, with 10 children from one of Lviv orphanages being the first to participate.
Intro & overview
Having mingled the usage of the English language and mobile technologies, we have designed an educational program for orphaned children aged between 14 to 16, aimed at fostering their knowledge of English in combination with mobile technologies. While Ukraine is a rapidly-developing country, it is imperative that the young people from disadvantaged families had a chance to integrate into a community of their peers, as well as obtain decent career opportunities in the future.
The vision behind
A post-Soviet country, Ukraine is now moving rapidly in the direction of the European Union, having adopted pro-Western doctrines on all its constitution levels. Unfortunately, the children residing in orphanages have little if no modern resources for learning foreign languages, which is a core skill in today’s labor market.
Meanwhile, learning a foreign language without the usage of modern technologies is almost impossible, as the most efficient educational practices of today boil down to the use of language-learning software. The presence of modern technologies helps deal with the lack of motivation to learn the language, as well as fosters a more efficient process of education.
With the right tools, we can bring changes for the future generation, making sure that these children get equal educational and employment opportunities, as compared to the children from regular families. The introduction of technology into the educational process teaches children to work independently, solve problems, and respond to the new challenges thrown at young people by today’s society.
This is all about creating future possibilities for the children, as English, the worldwide lingua franca, is a mother tongue to more than 500 million people in 12 countries. With more than 1.5 billion fluent speakers and more than 80% of worldwide data stored in English, this is a killer combination of technology and linguistics that will be applied to a good cause.
Oppertunities brough about by English
When pondering over the functions that English performs in a life of a modern adult, it seems abundantly clear today’s professional cannot lead a comprehensive lifestyle without even a basic knowledge of English. Over the course of our project, we will strive to explain and showcase to the children that the English language is associated with opportunities in the first place.
- Improved Professional Prospects and Growth: The English language is the language of international professional communication. It is nowadays used by many companies in Ukraine and all over the world.
- Refined Educational Prospective: Knowing English means being able to read and write in English, which is a whole new world of educational materials.
- Traveling & Exploring: Children have to know that this is an endless world of journeys without boundaries, both personal and professional, that the knowledge of English opens for them.
- Everyday communication: Finding new friends, opportunities and erasing the limits set by the language barrier is what learning English gives you.
Objectives on the list
We strive for motivating children to learn by applying a rather practical and visual approach. Showing them what the combination of the English language and mobile technologies can do for them, we want to improve their very attitude towards education, and learning English and technologies, in particular.
- Promote the learning of English
- Help children get used to technologies
- Visualize the opportunities brought about by education
The delivery phase
Our project is based on an educational program that combines learning English and applying technology using the Duolingo learning app.
Key off, 10 participants
We take off with launching the pilot phase of the project that is meant to last for three months. Based on the learning results of the first 10 participants, the project will be developed further, with a planned increase to the number of participants. The project is about to unfold in the following stages:
- Monitoring and selection of compatible orphanages in Lviv for the pilot project.
- Meeting and negotiations with the orphanage principal and presentation of the project.
- Signing the contract with the orphanage principal.
- Participants selection on the basis of the minimum entry-level English test and interviews.
- Signing contracts with children before the start of the project, during the project presentation.
Providing technologies
MatchOffice provides the participants of the project with neoteric smartphones; each student gets one. Every smartphone comes along with a protective case, a glass, and a SIM card. Furthermore, all the software required for successful completion of the educational program will be downloaded, including Google Family Link App, Duolingo App, WhatsApp, Google translator, and other AI translators if necessary.
It is important to note that the Google Family Link App is there for us to be able to prevent the children from being exposed to the negative impact of the Internet. Being able to manage their accounts means being able to make sure that they use smartphones, first of all, for educational matters. We will take a direct part in explaining to them the properties of the Duolingo app, which would be the core platform for learning the English language.
Furthermore, a professional English teacher will be assigned to the project. The teacher will develop a curriculum based on the Duolingo app materials in order to synchronize the learning process. Thus, the project participants will be exposed to the usage of both English and technologies in their everyday lives.
Events, events & events
Language is all about communication. The MatchOffice team will take proper care of making sure that the project participants will have a chance to communicate in English with somebody who uses it on a professional level. Thus, there is a lot of events waiting ahead, including:
- Joint cinema outings;
- Discussion clubs;
- Interactive games;
- In-house film sessions;
- Visiting MatchOffice and experiencing English in professional action.
- Awarding for the most diligent and hard-working students.
Culinary master class with chef Thomas
Within the framework of the project we have invited Thomas, the chef of the French restaurant, and asked him to conduct a culinary master class with children.
Thomas showed the children how to prepare a famous French sandwich. They all used English for communication. It was an extremely wonderful new experience for the participants of the project.
View the video to see the exciting moments of this master class.
The outcome
As a result of their participation in the project, the children will get a whole list of benefits, both mental and material, as the project is aimed at a comprehensive development of a child as of an individual:
- English skills they can use in the future
- Knowledge of technology
- Insights in a real company
- Fun learning and activities
- Smartphone as a reward for the successful completion of the project
The MatchOffice and its CEO, Jakob Dalhoff, indulge a sincere hope that the project will become successful, eventually changing the lives of thousands of young minds for the better. They are the future of the world, and taking care of the future is our responsibility.
