Elbasan
Elbasan is a larger city in central Albania. iSTEP is building on the existing school project of the Aid to the Balkans (A2B) organization here. We equip the school and day care center for disadvantaged children and youth with laptops. In ongoing courses, participants can develop and deepen their multimedia and IT skills.
The Location
Elbasan is the fourth largest city in Albania. On the outskirts of Elbasan lies the A2B center of the eponymous charity. The center offers a kindergarten, as well as a lunch service providing warm meals to children and youth from a nearby school. As part of their after-lunch activities, the center also provides homework help and tutoring. Although primarily aimed at children from poorer backgrounds, the services are also open to better-off families, preventing stigma and fostering a beneficial mixing of social groups. The building also serves as a storage facility for aid goods and food for the organization’s other programs. iSTEP uses A2B’s aid shipments to send IT materials to Albania.
What We Do
Since our first deployment in September 2023, iSTEP has been offering regular online courses for the children at the A2B center, building on the center's daily structure programs. The courses take place every 14 days and are modular in design. Through this continuity, we achieve a progressive learning effect and build trust with the children and young people. Regular exchange also allows us to understand the participants' interests and provide individualized support when needed.
The courses are supported by local translators to ensure that even children with limited English skills can participate. The program is divided into two main areas: One focuses on creative skills, teaching design concepts, as well as image and video editing, while the other focuses on IT skills.
