The Young Economist, The Gift of Self-Presentation, Finance for the Shrewd, Advertising and Exerting influence, Creating Tourist Products, In Practice: My Road to Business – these are are subjects in the Children’s University of Economics at the University of Gdańsk.
The UG’s Faculty of Management and the Foundation for the Promotion and Accreditation of Economic Education have signed “An Agreement for Co-operation for the Children’s University of Economics at the Unversity of Gdańsk”. The year of classes will start on 6th October. There will be six meetings during the winter semester 2015-2016.
Classes are open to 5th and 6th form primary school pupils from Gdańsk, Sopot and surrounding areas.
The Children’s University of Economics (EUD) is an all-Poland programme of economic education which aims to foster entrepreneurship among adolescents, and to encourage them to take further interest in economic issues. The project is devised and organised by the Foundation for the Promotion and Accreditation of Economic Education.
“Knowledge of finance is growing in importance in the modern world, and it has become one of the basic competences, which is why learning about economics is vital for the young. Equally as vital is the formation of entrepreneurial attitudes and the ability to work in groups and solve problem areas. These are educational tasks which should start with primary school pupils. With our partners and the support of the Polish National Bank, we have been active in this area for seven years now and in the Tri-City from this year”, said Dr Sabina Nowak, local co-ordinator of the Children’s University of Economics for Gdańsk/Sopot.
EUD classes are held in seven institutions - the University of Gdańsk, Warsaw School of Economics, the Universities of Economics in Katowice, Poznań and Wrocław and the Universities of Białystok and Szczecin. A semester consists of six meetings of two periods each. EUD classes are interactive and following the formula of edutainment. They are divided into a theoretical part, i.e. lectures given by academic teachers, and a practical part – workshops where pupils have the chance to take the roles of project leader, negotiator or stock exchange investor. In future classes the young students will learn, amongst others, what marketing is and how to recognise its strategies, why we need economists, the role of banks in the economy and if joining the Euro zone is a good idea. Classes are taught by academic teachers and experts cooperating with the Foundation.
Students receive a student book (indeks), in which they collect stamps to prove their attendance. The semester ends with a test of knowledge and the awarding of prizes for the best students in each centre. Any student who has attended at least four EUD classes passes the semester.
The EUD also offers classes for parents and guardians. These are a series of lessons devoted to issues related to upbringing, shaping social competences and the entrepreneurial spirit in children, and also conscious use of mass media.
The EUD has been in operation since 2008. More than 1,600 pupils from all over the country receive a EUD indeks every year, and the list of graduates and participants now numbers nearly 10,000. In this coming year, over 700 indekses will be handed out. Registration for classes ends on 18th September. All EUD classes are free of charge.
The registration form and details on the programme of classes for all EUD institutions, timetables and location of classes are available at: www.uniwersytet-dzieciecy.pl.
