27.02.2025
This year, the Thomas Bata Foundation commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bata School of Work. As part of the celebrations, it prepares an exhibition named after the Bata motto "Youth Forward". The exhibition presents the concept of the Bata Schools of Work, their influence on young people's lives and everyday life in them in a total of twelve panels.
The aim of the exhibition is to draw attention to the value principles that were transmitted in these schools and their relevance for the present. The exhibition is primarily aimed at secondary and university students who want to gain the courage to build themselves.
The aim of the Bata School of Work, a special school for boys and later for girls aged 14 to 18, was to educate young people to become self-confident and purposeful individuals who know their worth and personal responsibility, first to themselves and then to society. In the early years, the school faced the prejudice that it was only a school providing the company with future qualified shoemakers. However, the company quickly understood that the concept of the school was unique, that it was not about educating future workers, but about developing the whole personality of young people.
The principle of the Bata Schools of Work was set in the environment of boarding school life, factory work and school education. The basis was to lead young people to independence and responsibility not only for their own finances, but also for their future and position in society.
The exhibition brings a profound overlap for students, but also anyone who is willing to work on themselves and take personal responsibility for their own lives. It is scheduled to open in May or June this year.
