Do you remember how excited we were to visit our parents at work, type on a typewriter, play banker or doctor, or peek backstage or into a TV studio? Those were unforgettable times!
Today, kids still wonder what their parents do at work, and for them, it’s an abstract concept. The best way to introduce them to our work world is by giving them the opportunity to experience it firsthand. We want them to explore their parents’ professional world and carry home some life lessons from the adult world.
While the little ones of our colleagues have had the chance to visit their parents at work at least once, this time, we wanted to offer them a different experience – one focused on learning and fun, with the mentoring help of their parents, our colleagues.
And that’s how the idea for our first educational program at Levi9, “Take Your Kids to Work,” was born.
What do schoolchildren look for in an office?
But it wasn’t just nostalgia that led us to think in this direction.
Levi9 is a company that’s been operating in Serbia for 19 years, and among our team, we have colleagues who’ve been here from the very beginning. We’ve celebrated countless newborns and watched our team grow. With such a large team of little levi niners, we would definitely meet around the New Year holidays, but this time in the office, organized… challenge accepted!
We wanted to give children a firsthand look at what their parent(s) do every day. This helps them better understand the effort and time their parents invest in their work. By observing the relationships between colleagues, whose names they may have already heard from their parents’ stories, children can see what the professional world looks like.
Perhaps most importantly, when children see what education can bring them and the advantages of gaining knowledge and skills, they will gain a new sense of motivation for their schooling. We also hoped to spark their curiosity, which is the main driving force for development.
How did we design workshops for kids?
The program was intended for elementary school children, divided into two groups – younger and older grades – to tailor the content to their needs. For the younger group, we organized a mini programming school with Microbit devices, while the older children had the opportunity to learn how we programmed a ticket vending machine and explore AI tools.
We also wanted to provide a broader view of our colleagues’ exciting projects, so we organized workshops open to all –3D printing, “driving” the Levi9 go-kart, and an introduction to AI tools. Additionally, the kids enjoyed playing on Sony consoles, billiards, darts, and assembling Lego DeLoreans and Levi9 puzzles in the Game Room.
And there were gifts too! All the little ones took home a robot keychain, printed on the 3D printer during the workshop.
This all took place across three Levi9 offices in Serbia – in Novi Sad, Belgrade, and Zrenjanin – immediately after the start of summer vacation.
We opened our doors to the little ones, but what else did we open?
When we brought this idea back to the table in spring, one thing was clear – we wanted the kids to leave feeling inspired, full of new questions, and eager to return.
Organizing the “Take Your Kids to Work” day showed how important it is to give children the opportunity to get familiar with their parents’ work environment. With positive feedback from the children, parents, and levi niners mentors, we can confidently say that we achieved our goal.
After the program, we asked the children and parents to share their impressions. Here are some of their comments:
“The kids were thrilled to come to dad’s work and, through play and meeting other kids, interact with advanced technologies and the basics of programming.”
“The kids loved everything, from the workshops that were very interesting and age-appropriate, to the fact that they could play in the Game Room, see our work environment, and, of course, the fridge with ice cream was a big hit :)”
“We’re proud our kids were at the company, the content was excellent, they would have stayed longer.”
“I think the workshops were wonderfully designed, and the instructors did a fantastic job. After the workshop, my child excitedly shared everything they did and learned. I would definitely sign them up again!”
“My child was thrilled and wanted to come back tomorrow…”
That’s why it’s no surprise that by the end of the summer, we’ll again offer our employees’ children the chance to spend quality time in their parents’ work environment, actively learning and playing.
Written by
Jelena Borčić, Talent Partner
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