LocationsSummer Break at the School of Programming
When Children Learn to Believe in Their Ideas
September 26, 2025
Foto: Jakov Simović
Unforgettable, magical, innovative, exciting – these are the words this year’s participants and mentors used to describe their experience at the Summer School of Programming. For the fourth summer in a row, for two weeks Sremska Mitrovica became a place where ideas and creativity come together – 100 students from across Serbia spent part of their summer break here learning, programming, and making friends. Among them were 60 newcomers, selected through an open call, and 40 students who had attended the school before and now had the opportunity to join an advanced program.
Photo: Jakov Simović
For some, it all started quite simply – a teacher’s recommendation, a story from older friends, or an invitation from a mentor – but, as they say, the Summer School is anything but ordinary. “It’s nicer here than at home. Every day is full of activities,” says Sofija Jokanović (13) from Kruševac, while her peer Lena Danilović from Belgrade adds that the School brought her not only new knowledge, but also new friendships and experiences, such as learning about 3D printing or talking with professionals from the IT industry.
For both of them, it’s important to show that programming is not “just for boys.” “I don’t know who decided that, but both girls and boys can do this. Everything they can do, we can too – and the other way around,” Lena points out.
“I’m often the only girl in workshops, and I think that’s why some girls give up. But there’s no reason – programming is equally for all of us,”Sofija adds.
Sergej, Lena, Sofija i Vukašin, participants of the Summer School
Photo: Jakov Simović
Twelve-year-old Sergej Adžić from Belgrade enjoyed the extracurricular activities as well, where he learned many interesting facts about history. “At the museum, I learned that rulers used fountains so no one could hear when they spoke in secret.” His peer Vukašin Vračarić from Novi Sad used the Summer School to strengthen his programming skills and much more. “I learned a lot about life here, and I made new friends,” he says.
Some students return to the Summer School year after year. Livija Molnar and Marko Popović from Subotica have attended it four times already, and each year they create something new. This summer, Marko designed an app that makes machine learning more accessible to scientists from different fields.
“The best feeling is when you can say – this is something I made. This is my code, my project, and I stand behind it,”explains Marko.
Livija chose the well-known hangman game but developed it as a two-player version. She says her biggest challenge was integrating a keyboard and figuring out how to check if the word entered by one player was correct, but at the Summer School she could always count on support and help from mentors and peers.
Marko, Nikolina i Livija
Photo: Jakov Simović
Behind each game and line of code lies serious work. Sometimes the code ‘breaks’, the program doesn’t run as expected, and that’s when the mentors step in. They don’t give ready-made answers – they teach participants how to find the bug, to ask questions, explore, and try again.
Adding a special dimension to the program were the ‘mini-mentors’ – high school students who had previously been participant and have now come back to help younger ones. “It’s harder than it looks – everyone thinks differently, everyone writes code differently. But that’s exactly why we also learn a lot. And the best part is seeing someone you helped solve a problem independently later on,” says 16-year-old Nikolina Zdravković from Padinska Skela.
Among the mentors was Dimitrije Vlajić, a student at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering. “This is a fantastic opportunity for young programmers to learn and meet peers with similar interests. I also learn alongside them, because through their projects I realize how much I know – and where I still need to grow,” he explains.
Dimitrije Vlajić, mentor
Foto: Jakov Simović
Ivica Milarić, an assistant professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, as well as a video game narrator and localizer, has been a guest lecturer at the Summer School for the third year in a row. He emphasized that the greatest value of such programs lies in the fact that children take games seriously – not only as players, but also as those who might one day create them professionally. “I am certain that many of them will be my future colleagues in the gaming industry,” he says.
Ivica Milarić, assistant professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and a guest lecturer
Foto: Jakov Simović
And perhaps that is the secret – the Summer School of Programming is not just a chance to learn a new programming language or create a game. It’s a space where children learn to believe in their ideas, to support each other, and to grow together. As mini-mentor Nikolina observed: “The greatest value lies in the people we meet here. We look up to each other, encourage and inspire one another. That stays with us even outside the Summer School.”
Photo: Jakov Simović
The Summer School of Programming is organized by the Petlja Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Education, with support from the Government of Serbia, within the project “Building Key Computing Competences – Towards the Workforce of the Future.”
