Belgium, France, South Africa or Paraguay? That's where the students from Mladá Boleslav will go thanks to a scholarship prepared for them by the SKODA AUTO Endowment Fund in cooperation with AFS - Intercultural Programmes.
High school students from the Mladá Boleslav, Rychnov and Vrchlabí regions showed that they care about their environment when applying for the study and cultural scholarship offered by the SKODA AUTO Endowment Fund. The successful students will deepen their knowledge, skills and vision during study and cultural stays abroad in the next school year.
11 students applied for the grant call and four of them received scholarships. The scholarship application included a project proposal focused on the sustainable development of the region, the student's motivation and how they can use the international experience to further develop our region.
Specific proposals included the reconstruction of Mladá Boleslav's Peace Square, the organisation of camps during the spring and autumn holidays not only for children from disadvantaged families, the ecological use of bio-waste or the production of electricity using photovoltaic panels and its subsequent utilisation.
The selected students commented on the scholarships as follows:
Josefína Hudcová:
I applied because I knew I had something to say about the sustainability of Mladá Boleslav. I want us to start thinking differently about public space. Whether it's urban planning, which will affect the climate in every possible way. From air quality, to aesthetics, to safety, to climate in terms of atmosphere, how we feel here, how the city and the city interacts with us. I've always wanted to study abroad for a longer period of time, back in high school, and the NFSA scholarship program was my only option. And what am I looking forward to? New friends, a new world to discover. Inspiration, a shift in my language skills. Brussels. But also to get out of the Czech Republic for a while and come back with more perspective, a head full of impressions but somehow also clearer and ready for endless other projects to improve the world.
Martin Švejk:
Thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in the SKODA AUTO Endowment Fund grant programme. The opportunity to share my own ideas on how to improve my environment was unavailable to me for a long time, and I appreciate the fact that the NFŠA came up with a solution to engage students in the complex issues related to sustainability. The chance to travel abroad to study and confront world views builds international ties, and most importantly helps spread the good name of the Czech Republic abroad. It will be a pleasure to experience a new culture and make friends in another country, while broadening my horizons and gaining knowledge.
Karolína Anna Kolmanová:
I signed up for the program because I think that spending some time abroad is the best experience young people like us can get in high school. I was also intrigued by the fact that the SKODA AUTO Endowment Fund has developed this programme in cooperation with AFS, which, at least for me, is known for offering stays in less traditional countries such as Paraguay, Egypt and South Africa. I'm most looking forward to the culture of Latin America, which I've wanted to visit for a long time, and the opportunity to experience first-hand that the world is much bigger than Europe.
Students will have semester stays in France and Paraguay and trimester stays in South Africa and Belgium.
At the SKODA AUTO Endowment Fund, we want to enable young talents to gain enriching and developmental experiences abroad. Our long-term goal is to find and support future agents of change who take an active interest in their surroundings and can themselves contribute to further improving life in the Mladá Boleslav, Rychnov and Vrchlabí regions.