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The Talented Youth Energy Fund recognized the best

Since 2013, in cooperation with the Association of Local Authorities of Ida-Virumaa, we have been handing out scholarships to talented young people from Ida-Virumaa. This year, 37 young people aged 7-19 received scholarships for self-development and hobby activities. We organized an exciting recognition event for them, which took place on 15 December.

The recognition event was virtual this time. One of the scholarship recipients - a real multi-talent, 19-year-old Vladislav Virtonen , as well as Raine Pajo , Member of the Management Board of the Group, gave inspiring speeches.

In addition to his studies, Vladislav is a novice entrepreneur, assistant teacher and assistant police officer. He said in his speech that this was not the first time he had reached the list of scholarship recipients. Vladislav received a scholarship for the first time when he studied at the Sillamäe Music School. “It was the first support of my life that came from outside my family and the music school. After that, I started to dream bigger in my life. This led to me receiving the Best Instrumentalist Award in my age group for four years in a row," he recalled. In addition to dreaming, Vladislav advised to be bold and not afraid to make mistakes. He said that the best time to learn from one’s mistakes and to make mistakes is when still at school. "This is a happy time when there is not much responsibility in our lives and we can fail without major risks," he added.

Then spoke Raine Pajo who told the young people about his journey from an ordinary student to a member of the board. He showed photos of his exciting childhood and talked about his hobbies and studies abroad. For example, he talked about how he managed to win a competition at the age of 16 and travel to America. "When I was a child, we didn't have the opportunities we have now. While in America, I was able to improve my English and saw a lot of what we didn't have in our country at that time," Raine recalled, showing a baseball ticket he has kept from this trip. "Learn foreign languages and broaden your horizons," he encouraged the young people.

In addition to inspiring speeches, the recipients were able to participate in a virtual tour of the Iru Power Plant.

Energy Fund scholarship recipients were selected this time from among 76 applicants. Scholarships could be applied for participation in Olympiads, contests and competitions, development of scientific and technical knowledge, and acquisition of tools related to a field of interest. Every year, the Energy Fund gives out 9,000 euros to support the hobby activities of young people living in Ida-Virumaa.