OREANDA-NEWS. April 30, 2013. The Open Estonia Foundation presented its 2013 Concord award– this year’s recipient being the ‘Back to School’ initiative, of which Swedbank is the strategic partner.

‘Back to School’ was considered worthy of the award for the fact that it opens up borders, unites different areas of life, different experiences and different generations and helps to shape a more cohesive, more open and more intelligent Estonia. Thousands of guest lessons have been given as part of the initiative over the years, with more than 200 having been registered in the two months alone since the launch of its new online information system.

Mall Hellam, the director of the Open Estonia Foundation, says that what sets ‘Back to School’ apart is the role it plays in opening up schools and creating cohesion in society. “With the new direction it’s taken it’s no longer focussing solely on getting experts and public figures back into classrooms for one day a year, but it’s transformed into a year-round civic education initiative,” she said.

“Our cooperation isn’t limited to supporting the initiative and its information system financially,” explained Ulla Ilisson, head of Retail Banking in Swedbank. “We’ve taken its message and way of thinking to heart and we’re determined to spread it. We support the idea of every person, every company, every organisation playing a role in sharing its knowledge and experience in schools.”

“We’d like to thank everybody who’s come into contact with ‘Back to School’ so far and who will do so in future,” said Triin Noorkoiv, one of the pioneers of the initiative. “Let’s keep on opening up borders, bringing together different generations and experiences and areas of life and helping to shape a more cohesive, open and intelligent Estonia!”

The Concord award was established by the Open Estonia Foundation in 1997 and is awarded each April to mark the foundation’s anniversary in recognition of companies and people who have contributed to the shaping of society. The award is accompanied by a EUR2000 prize and a graphic print by Marje Uksis entitled Avanemine or ‘Opening Up’.

‘Back to School’ was launched by the Youth to School Foundation in 2007. The project, which is supported by the President of the Republic of Estonia, has reached thousands of people and continues to grow each year. Its information system development project was financed by the area of government of the Minister of Regional Affairs, the National Foundation of Civil Society and Swedbank, the initiative’s strategic partner.