Opening of a TUMO centre in Mannheim

• Second TUMO learning centre in Germany
• Free educational offer fosters equal opportunities
• Innovative concept transferred from Armenia to Germany

Today, KfW signed a partnership agreement with TUMO Armenia and the project-executing agency Starkmacher e.V. to open a TUMO centre in Mannheim, Germany. This will establish the second TUMO learning centre for digital skills in Germany. KfW is providing advisory services and support for the local project-executing agency during the design phase.

TUMO is an innovative, free education concept for young people between 12 and 18 years old. It was developed in Armenia and introduced through KfW’s initiative in Germany. KfW is financing the first TUMO centre in Berlin with the aim of finding further partners and thus promoting further development into a nationwide network of TUMO learning centres in Germany.

Stefan Wintels, Chief Executive Officer of KfW Group highlighted the fact that “digital education is a key priority for Germany’s digital advancement. TUMO enables young people to develop their digital skills in line with their interests and thus also pays dividends in strengthening Germany as a technology and industrial location. What makes TUMO special is that free acquisition of digital skills is strengthening equal opportunities and personal responsibility. This benefits our society.”

Marie-Lou Papazian, Managing Director of TUMO Armenia: "We are very happy that we can contribute to helping the youth of Mannheim realize their full potential through digital education. Our partners at KfW have a clear vision of the needs of the next generation of young Germans. They have been very effective in demonstrating the TUMO concept and enlisting partners to spread it nationwide."

The TUMO centre in Mannheim is operated by the non-profit extracurricular educational institution Starkmacher e.V., which has set itself the goal of promoting children and young people since it was established in 2006. The TUMO centre in Mannheim is the start of a Germany-wide expansion of further learning centres in urban and rural regions.

At the TUMO centre in Mannheim, over 1,000 children and young people can develop their skills in ten digital subject areas each week after school. The programmes are voluntary and free. Thanks to an individual learning path, they acquire basic skills that can be deepened and strengthened in workshops and learning labs.

Named after the Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan (abbreviated TUMO), the learning centres throughout the world enable young people to acquire skills in digital technologies and creative methods, including animation, programming, 3D modelling and robotics, but also music, film and photography. Students develop their own – digitally supported – learning path in self-learning sessions and workshops. The aim is to equip young people to deal with the challenges and opportunities of digitalisation in society and at work.

Information about TUMO is available here:
www.tumo.org
www.kfw.de/tumo