Coding for the future: How we get children excited about technology

hack an app in the capital: National Council member and ti&m employee Dominik Blunschy guides participants through the parliament building.

Technology shapes our lives and our future. That’s why at ti&m, we not only want to develop innovative solutions for our customers, but also pass on our enthusiasm for IT to the next generation. With our hack an app program, we have created a unique youth development program that for over ten years has been inspiring thousands of children and young people to get creative and develop their own apps.

Our hack an app IT project weeks are free of charge and open to young people aged between 11 and 14. In courses lasting several days, and accompanied by our software engineers, they learn how to plan, design, and program an app — from the initial concept to the finished prototype. The focus is not only on technical skills, but also on creativity, teamwork, and problemsolving competencies. Take the spaghetti challenge, for example. Here, participants work in teams to build a tower as high as possible using spaghetti, tape, and string — and learn what agile working with Scrum means: working iteratively, testing, and improving. This way, they don’t just get an explanation of IT, they get to experience it. What remains the same every year is the enthusiasm. What changes is the content. The courses are constantly being developed and reflect the latest technologies. In 2025, for example, artificial intelligence is on the agenda. We also regularly develop very special hack an apps, like this year in Bern. There, the participants spent three days programming their own quiz app. On the last day, they proudly presented their work to their parents — right in the heart of the parliament building. A highlight was the exclusive tour of the building with our employee and National Council member Dominik Blunschy, who gave the young people an insight into the Swiss political system and the workings of the Council.

Our future is closely linked to the values and skills that we promote in our children. Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world. This innovative strength is based not only on education, knowledge, and technological expertise, but also on a passion for discovering new things and seeing problems not as challenges, but as a creative playground where ideas, imagination, and communication can score points. With our hack an apps, we want to make a small contribution to inspiring young talent with our passion for technology and enthusiasm for innovation. The impact of the project weeks often only becomes apparent years later — when former participants find their way into IT. Just like Prashanan Vasantharasa: As a child, he attended a hack an app, later completed an IT apprenticeship at ti&m, and now works for us as a technical project manager. Stories like this are both an incentive and confirmation for us.