We, as a society, must make all possible measures to prevent the deepening of the digital divide between children in Serbia and children in developed countries, said State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications Tatjana Matić at today’s opening of the IT Corner in the Belgrade Youth Center.
According to her, despite age limits, 42 percent of sixteen-year-olds in European Union countries are active on the Internet and on social networks, while the percentage of high school students who are active on the Internet is 75 percent.
In Serbia, 2.6 million people use a computer daily, including a significant number of children, said Matić, adding that they have great creativity, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit and can do a lot with the help of ICT.
– This inspires great hope, but they need our help and support. They need meeting places, places where they can exchange ideas and interact – places like the IT Corner, the first of hopefully many future similar places throughout our country, noted Matić.
After the creative IT workshop in the Belgrade Youth Center, Matić said that she sees the IT Corner as a place that will also, with its educational function, contribute to the preventive initiatives that affect the consciousness of youth and children in terms of safety on the Internet.
The IT Corner is located in the lobby in front of the “Amerikana” hall of the Belgrade Youth Center, and is designed as a youth educational center, intended primarily for high school and college students. It is equipped with the latest Apple Macintosh computers, and the purchase of 3D printers, 3D scanners, as well as materials for robotics is planned. The IT Corner will function as a place designed exclusively for educational activities, where young people can launch their own startup projects.
The initial phase of implementation of the project is financed from the Belgrade Youth Center’s own funds and with the help of the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications and Telecom Serbia. The project is supported by the donation of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, as well as the donation of the “Macola” company.
