THE VODAFONE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE VPOHYBU PROGRAM

From today, young people up to 26 years of age can apply for financial support for their generally beneficial projects in the scope of the second round of the Vodafone Foundation’s VPOHYBU grant program. The program supports projects aimed towards the development of local communities in the Czech Republic. VPOHYBU wants to actively connect young people to community development and thereby cultivate skills that are important to helping them lead independent lives. In the first round of the program, a total of 62 projects throughout the Czech Republic were awarded grants; altogether the foundation provided CZK 7.9 million in support.

“In the first round we were very surprised by how fantastic the young people’s ideas for projects were, even though many of them are still in high school,” says Inga Kaškelyte, Director of the Vodafone Czech Republic Foundation. “We are convinced that supporting informal groups of young people at local and national levels makes sense.”

In the second round of the Vpohybu program, the following people can request support:

• informal groups of young people up to 26 years of age
• private, non-profit organisations founded and led by young people up to 26 years of age
• registered projects must have a generally successful character
• the project request form can be downloaded at www.nadacevodafone.cz
• the deadline for submitting grant applications is 15.11. 2007

In the first round of the Vpohybu program, 273 projects applied for grants. The administrative board chose to support 62 projects in nine regions of the Czech Republic: northern Bohemia (CZK 659,000), central Bohemia (CZK 1.9 million), eastern Bohemia (CZK 575,000), southern Bohemia (CZK 90,000), western Bohemia (CZK 1 million), the Highlands (CZK 130,000), northern Moravia (CZK 1.1 million), south Moravia (CZK 433,000), and central Moravia (CZK 148,000).

The most interesting projects in the first round were:

GHETTOUT! a computer game to help young people get out of ghettos (CZK 535,800, Czech Republic)

• a computer game that simulates the life of a resident of a social ghetto in an attractive and relevant manner
• intended for a wide-ranging group of PC gamers and educational institutions

Street theater festival at the train station (CZK 100,000, Prague)

• a series of student theater performances (Sade’s Sour Cherries, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Cannibals, Beggar’s Opera) in public areas of the Prague Main Train Station (implemented by secondary school and college students)

Anthology of North Bohemian comics (CZK 100,000, Ústí nad Labem)

• the creation of anthology of North Bohemian comics, mapping the regional history of the genre and supporting the development of new comics in Ústecko region (carried out by secondary school and college students)

GSM/GPS navigation system for the blind (CZK 1,800,000, Czech Republic)

• construction of a call centre for a GSM/GPS navigation system for the blind
• the system enables immediate location positioning and navigation for the blind throughout the entire territory of the Czech Republic (the system was developed by the Vodafone Research and Education Centre, ČVUT and Ericsson)
• it was implemented by the United Organization of the Blind and Purblind (Sjednocená organizace nevidomých a slabozrakých – SONS)

SMS mobilization service for blood donors (CZK 500,000, Czech Republic)

• construction of a central database of blood donors and SMS mobilization system for immediate communication between blood donors and transfusion stations in the Czech Republic

Computer games for the blind (CZK 131,845, Brno)

• a project of specific computer games for blind children at special elementary schools (implemented by secondary school students)

Geocaching club for socially underprivileged children (CZK 97,000, Ostrava)

• geocaching club as a safe place for children to spend their free time
• geocaching is a new sport (game) that uses GPS navigation and mobile phones in a game (sport) based on searching for treasure and orientation racing

Trmalová Villa and the Clazzic citizen’s association (CZK 200,000, Prague)

• the creation of a new cultural centre in the Trmalová Villa in Prague
• presentation and support of a young generation of artists – photography,
• music, theatre, poetry (carried out by secondary school and college students)

Stuttering – documentary film (CZK 89,700, Brno)

• a documentary film project about the life of young people suffering from stuttering (distribution on TV and in cinemas)
• breaks the barrier between healthy members of the population and people suffering from stuttering

The Vpohybu grant program

The Vpohybu grant program aims to support the independent activities of young people (Youth and Community) and to connect technology to assistance for those in need (Communications Technology and the Underprivileged). The objective of the program is to develop responsibility and skills in youth that are important to their future employment and, at the same time, to use communications technologies to help underprivileged groups lead a full life.

The Vodafone Czech Republic Foundation

The Foundation was created in 2005 and focuses especially on providing support for young people (the Vpoho and Vpohybu grant programs) and connecting communication technologies to assistance for those in need (the Vpohybu grant program). The Foundation is financed by Vodafone Czech Republic and the Vodafone Group Foundation, which coordinates Vodafone’s charity activities globally. The founding of a local Vodafone foundation and investments into charity projects is mandatory for all Vodafone branches. The Vodafone Group was rated as the world’s most socially responsible firm in 2006 (http://www.accountabilityrating.com).