"Talent can be hidden in each one of us!"
Hungarian talent support organizations aim at motivating young Hungarians to realize their full potential, and, by this, make them happier and more responsible members of society.
‘Nurturing talents must be a priority issue for our country’. ‘The economic development of Hungary will be realized by the improvement made for knowledge intensive sectors’.
In the spirit of these thoughts the Hungarian Parliament ratified the National Talent Program for the next 20 years as of 2008. A significant contribution to this long-term national endeavour is the Hungarian Genius Program, launched in June 2009, that will continue until the end of 2011 with plans for further expansion through 2013. The Association of Hungarian Talent Support Organizations as a non-governmental organisation is proud to be able to organize the EU-supported Hungarian Genius Program.
Hungarian Genius Integrated Talent Support Programme
The Hungarian Genius Programme fills a long-ago identified gap in Hungarian talent support. It aims at developing a nationwide network of talent support organisations, which will help create or strengthen bonds between the educational and talent support processes covered in schools and such opportunities provided by NGOs or even private persons.
The Hungarian Genius Programme also offers professional training courses to those working at various talent support organisations, aiming to systematically develop the professional and methodological skills of mentors dealing with talented youth.By these activities, the Hungarian Genius Programme will develop a sector-independent, all-embracing national Genius Network of Hungarian talent support schemes in and outside Hungary.
The core elements of this network are the so-called TalentPoints, institutions that have gone through a meticulous professional accreditation system developed in the framework of the Hungarian Genius Programme. As of today, over 400 TalentPoints have been established, and 210 educational institutions and civil society organizations have developed new and special talent support initiatives in frame of the Hungarian Genius Program.
As a result of its professional network building and training activities, the Hungarian Genius Network will draw up the Talent Map of Hungary, will boost the number of Hungarian TalentPoints in and outside Hungary, with special attention to talented young people among Hungarian minorities in neighbouring countries. To this aim, the programme will call to existence regional Talent Support Councils, public bodies guarding professional standards and coordinating activities in their respective regions.
The programme will organise and promote the concept of Talent Days, festive events focusing public attention on gifted people and talent support. It will develop financial programmes to support various forms of education of high achievers, among others, it aims at creating a Talent Credit Scheme to provide resources to those gifted, but underpriviledged. The Hungarian Genius Integrated Talent Support Programme, an EU-funded project, is paired up with a number of national programmes. Through the National Talent Fund, registered TalentPoints may apply to grants to fund their professional activities.
We hope that by all these efforts Hungary will develop its century-long talent support traditions (giving several Nobel Laureates, world-known musicians and sportsman) further, and will become a talent-friendly society by 2020.
The English language brochure of the Hungarian Genius Integrated Talent Support Program is available in pdf format.
