The Csányi Foundation was created to help talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop their talents. It seems simple in practice, yet identifying someone in need without breaking them away from their family and environment, while operating over a long period, is a complex task. For this reason, the foundation has created the Guidance Programme, the aim of which is to provide continuous support from the 5th grade (from the age of 10 until graduation from higher education) of selected children, to tackle their socio-cultural disadvantages and to develop their talents to ensure their further education.
Guidance Program
Professional Success
In 2016 the Csányi Foundation won the “Bonis Bona award for the talents of the nation”, a highly appreciated award and an honour for our organization.
Principle
Real social impact cannot be achieved with only short-term support – only through time and effort, helping both children and their families. Personal care that takes place in different life stages and school types (primary school, high school, higher education) is vastly different, and so are their approaches. The Csányi Foundation embraces talent, creation, knowledge, and a value system that recognizes performance based on invested work.
During our development sessions, we find it important to have programs that promote active learning, in order to preserve children’s motivation.
How has the program succeeded?
In our foundation, we carry out continuous professional monitoring in accordance with our measurements calendar. We also provide individual and small-group sessions. Our activities are not restricted to one place – we are present in six locations across the country: Jászberény, Kaposvár, Nagybajom, Mohács, Pécs, Szeged, and their catchment areas.
We only work with committed and acclaimed professionals to ensure the high quality of the program.
Children are actively involved in the program, throughout which they can express their views and comments, thus improving the work of the foundation. To this end, the foundation’s Children’s Parliament was established and the Co-operation Rules and Regulations were drafted.
Further enrichment of the programme through the activities provided by our cooperating partners:
- Knowledge dissemination and language development sessions, with the active participation of Fulbright scholars. Intensive language training with AIESEC volunteers (Brazil, Germany, Singapore, China, Costa Rica, and Italy)
- Preparing for a conscious career choice and helping with the support of professional contact capital, with the support of the University of Kaposvár, Consulting Club, and McDaniel College Budapest.
- Small professional practice with the support of the BONAFARM group, to promote conscious career choice and further education.
- With NI‘s support – programming robots, mastering a graphical programming language, and deepening algorithmic thinking.
- Close cooperation with the Judit Polgár Chess Foundation, as a result of which every year the winners of the jointly announced tender participate in the World Chess Festival.
- Establishing and developing financial and management knowledge, with the support of the OTP Fáy Foundation and the K. Centre.
- Organized trainings with the support of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) specialists, to develop social and communication skills.
- Further development of computing skills, and coaching with SMP Solutions Zrt. support.
- Conscious awareness–raising, with the training of the Airship Program.
Occupations, programs, and specialized camps – without a focus on completion.
Everyday life in our community houses is characterized by coherent and carefully planned work. Long-term, prudent planning takes place alongside the rules set out in the Lifeline Program. Over the course of the month, primary school children have 26 classes, with 29 development hours for high school students; and we provide children with talent training on a single Saturday in a month. One of the foundations of the profession is the foreign language teaching of all children. A five-round language contest that lasts throughout the school year, in which besides written tests, a seminary and end-of-year oral exam is held. As a result, the group of the best performing students in each language and level can study at an intensive foreign language camp at the end of the school year. Another focus of development sessions is IT education, where our students are provided practical knowledge in addition to acquiring the ECDL exam, becoming adults with intelligent and safe use of smart tools. The third pillar of development sessions is self-knowledge and drama, which helps to overcome children’s disadvantages, and increases their self-confidence and communication skills.
The community houses of the foundation organize many cultural enrichment programs. In addition, we ensure that supporting individual students does not undermine the family balance – so we also organize open programs where family members can become involved (family days, talent days, open days). In addition to the many festive occasions, parents participate in lectures on the Parents’ Academy series of lectures, dealing with current issues affecting children such as conflict management, positive communication, adolescence, or drug prevention lectures. Throughout the year, several other groups have also been involved in community building, including the foundation’s chess championships, the Csányi Band and Foundation Chamber Choir rehearsals, and the annual Life Show Day, where our students present their annual activity and their achievements over the course of the year.
At the end of the school year, students are involved in local, national and international thematic camps, where the promotion of competence areas continues.
Social assistance
…including but not limited to
The value of the grants and the scholarship schemes is contained in the Csányi Foundation’s Aid and Scholarship Rules. For all of our sponsors, every foundation program is free. The principle of support is that the support for a child/family is most effective not as a one-off payment, but on the basis of the continuous needs of our supporters. the age range
Who can join the Program?
The Board of the Foundation decides at its autumn session the year before the selection process about the number of learning groups and participants for each region that can be added to the existing talent programs.
Pupils starting their 5th academic year might join the Guidance Program through its published application process, if their performance at the talent selection procedure is outstanding and they are also eligible based on the geographical, age and social conditions of the program. The current application opportunity will be published on the website of the Foundation and its Facebook page. The Foundation staff will visit primary schools and children welfare services in each eligible region to trace talents and spread information about the Foundation’s activities.
The applicants have to participate in a full-day talent selection procedure (mathematics and reading comprehension tests, topical drama play with the other applicants, personal interview and presenting their portfolio) which was elaborated by our experts. Based on the results our experts will create a priority list and then the Board decides who can join the Guidance Program. Each participant and their referring schools will be informed via letters.