Telerik Academy Foundation

The challenge:
In the next few years, 95% of all jobs will require digital literacy. Only 31% of Bulgarians currently have digital skills. There is a looming gap in education programs that could prepare today's youth for the jobs of the future. In addition, 90% of tech companies are concentrated in Sofia and Bulgaria's economic power is centered in a few major cities. The migration to these regions and abroad is stripping off ~2/3 of the country of its young population and deteriorating the local economies.

What we do:
Telerik Academy School provides free tech education to students ages 7-18, in 140 cohorts in 47 cities in Bulgaria. We spark youth's interest in studying and transform them from passive digital consumers into growth-minded creators. By arming the next generations with digital and programming skills and laying the foundation for a promising career in digital technologies, our programs aim to keep young people not only in Bulgaria but also in their home towns.
The language of business is English, but innovations are written in code. If we want to set Bulgaria on a successful innovating trajectory, investing in the digital skills of the next generations is our only option.

About Telerik Academy School:
Building on the legacy of the training programs led by the software development company Telerik until 2017, during the past 4 years we have validated our new non-profit development model as a stand-alone organization. Today, Telerik Academy Foundation is the largest free tech-ed organization for students in the country. In 12 years, the two organizations have trained over 17,000 students. Since 2017, we have trained over 100 educators and increased our reach from 36 cohorts in 11 cities with 15 teacher contractors to 140 cohorts in 47 settlements with 101 contractors. By the end of 2024, we aim to teach another 12,000 students, reaching 35+ Bulgarian cities. We have established lasting partnerships with schools, state, and municipal institutions, and developed a portfolio of five educational programs.

How it works:
We combine innovative educational programs with teacher training and implementation of a Learning Management System. In this way, we transform existing solutions through our engaging and well-rounded content and standardized, simplified delivery. Currently, we offer the following educational programs: Digital Science, Game Development (two different programs for different age groups), Competitive Development, Web Development, with some of them having up to three levels.

Our strengths:
- Accessibility: all our classes are free and open to any student who wishes to apply.
- National reach: we are currently in 47 settlements all around Bulgaria.
- Our model: we can set up classes easily in most locations, allowing us to reach more communities.
- Content development: all five of our educational programs are developed based on best practices and students' interests and provide an engaging learning experience.
- Teacher training: we invest in teacher training, provide easy-to-use teaching materials and ongoing support.

How your support counts:
$26 will provide 1 hour of training for 15 kids.
$1,290 will provide 1/2 year of training for 15 kids.
$4,300 will provide a full 1 year training for 20 kids.

Preparing for the 2023-2024 school year:
We are already actively preparing for the the next school year, upgrading our program materials, teacher trainings, and digital tools. We are also launching our fundraising campaign for 2023-2024 cohort sponsorships. We are looking to sustain our current and create new donor relationships to support that growth. Help us provide free technological education to 2,500 students this year!