Everything changes, but education remains the same. How? This question is being posed more and more loudly in the public, and even more often in our Split Tech City community. There are still no concrete answers and the corrections that are offered are more of a cosmetic nature.

Expecting change by always doing the same thing just isn’t realistic. Development needs radical interventions. And who feels it more than us in the IT sector?

That’s why we are delighted to announce that our member Harfa International School, is joining the organization of a series of meetups precisely to start a broader dialogue, but also concrete changes that need to happen in education today so that we can expect positive changes and sustainable development tomorrow.

What are the knowledge and skills that children need to be ready for the challenges of the future? What are the challenges of the future anyway? What is life, what is school and where is the border between the two? How does parenting fit into all of this and how important is the evergreen question of all generations: “How was school?”

The answer to these and many other questions will be sought by Marina Tudor, the school’s manager, in a conversation with interesting guests.

The guest of the first “Harfa – Education for the Future” meetup will be Jan de Jong. A Dutchman who is “living the Croatian dream” seems like the right person to open Harfa’s communication platform and public dialogue on education.

To remind you, this father of four children came to Croatia in 2006, stayed here till today, and his CV shows:

• Founder of a company listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange and employs more than 11,000 employees in the region.
• Founder of the first company in the region dealing with e-mail marketing automation and introducing a four-day work week.
• Co-founder of a company that develops high-tech solutions for feeding the growing population in a sustainable, reliable, and nutritious way with the mission of making Croatia less dependent on food imports and ultimately turning Croatia into a food exporting country again.
• Initiator of the initiative to introduce a digital nomad visa in Croatia, thanks to which Croatia became one of the first countries in the world to accept digital nomads by issuing 12-month residence permits.

At a time when young people are leaving Croatia in search of a better future, Jan became a LinkedIn influencer precisely by writing inspiring stories about his business success in Croatia.

#LivingTheCroatianDream is a slogan that made many people think. What knowledge and skills were crucial in the development of his success? How much of a role did upbringing play in that, and how much was education? Where does he place emphasis when parenting his own children? What values ​​does he look for in his own employees? And a lot more…

“Harfa – Education for the Future” meet-up with Jan de Jong as the first guest speaker, will take place on Thursday, March 30th, starting at 18:30 at Harfa International School (address: Osmih mediteranskih igara 2, Split). The number of places is limited, so be sure to register HERE.

We are looking forward to the conversation with Jan in this new context from which, we believe all of us together, especially parents, can conclude a lot.

And speaking of parents, we would like to highlight that during the meet-up, Harfa is organizing a free Mental Arithmetic workshop for children (ages: 5-7 years). So, you have no excuses.

While you are at the meetup, discussing the topics whose importance does not need to be emphasized, the children play and enjoy learning math! Yes, you read that right: they have fun while learning math! Have some doubts?

Details about this workshop are available HERE. To participate in the workshop, you must register your children HERE.

We are delighted with the initiative of our member Harfa International School, and the initiation of changes in our society in the context of upbringing and education because, let’s face it, real change starts right there!