Announcement

(Hamburg, 13 June 2012) In the past school year, the education project 'generation@' reached 270 schoolchildren in Hamburg who took part in 14 workshops to enhance their media skills. 'generation@' invites the 'playhamburg12' festival for creative computer games for one day to Hamburg on 19 June. 120 children and adolescents from local partner schools in Hamburg will present their results from the creative gaming workshops at 10 am, 1 pm and 5:45 pm.

As part of the 'generation@' project, Tipp24 has been developing the media skills of educationally disadvantaged young people in cooperation with 'BürgerStiftung Hamburg' since 2008. In 2011, a further cooperation partner was found in 'jaf - Verein für medienpädagogische Praxis Hamburg e.V.'. One element of 'generation@' are the creative gaming workshops which teach children the creative use of computer games. At these workshops, children and adolescents learn and critically assess the mechanisms and functions of the Internet in a playful manner which also relates to the realities of their everyday lives. Schoolchildren aged between 12 to 16 get to creatively enhance the existing functions of various computer games - for example by making game characters dance ballet or by producing their own films within the game. In addition to developing storylines, participants also learn about camera work and sound recording. Characters from the popular simulation game 'The Sims' can be cast as actors while the kids themselves act as directors, designers, set creators and stylists.

The entire 'generation@' project has been developed as a sustainable model offering both breadth and depth. Thanks to its modular character, the project reaches a wide audience. The workshops, for example, are held at several Hamburg-based partner schools for a variety of age groups. It would also be possible to expand into other local districts as well as beyond Hamburg. In addition to the creative gaming workshops, other 'generation@' modules include the non-school-specific 'Klickerkids' workshops for younger children. With the aid of games, kids are taught how to use the computer and Internet as tools for research and work. By focusing on specific district schools and integrating other elements, such as teacher training, generation@ also achieves the desired depth.

The Hamburg-based company Tipp24 not only provides financial support for the projects, but also encourages staff to act as advisers during the practical workshops. The young participants not only receive hands-on tips and tricks from online practitioners, but also learn about various career opportunities. This Corporate Volunteering approach plays a further key role in the sustainability of the overall generation@ project - competent contact partners from the world of business act as role models and give kids a positive insight into the working world. At the same time, staff strengthen their ties to the company and its local surroundings, as the partner schools are all located near the company's Hamburg offices.

'The evaluation of the workshops held so far indicates that we've made a decisive contribution towards promoting media skills. These skills are becoming increasingly important for the life and professional development of young people. By encouraging young participants to try things out creatively, they gain a new and more critical insight into computers and the Internet and learn to also see them as tools,' says Dr Hans Cornehl, CEO of Tipp24 SE. The relevance of the topic was also confirmed in May by the German Health Ministry's Report on Drugs and Addiction 2012, which this year focuses on the responsible use of computers and the Internet.

The festival day is the first step towards a planned major Festival 2013 in Hamburg. This year, it not only provides a new and inspiring framework for children and adolescents: the festival offers a platform for learning, exchanging ideas and getting involved for all teachers, parents, politicians, gamers and media artists in Hamburg. Already held successfully four times in Potsdam, the festival will be held at Kolbenschmidtwerk, Hall 5 (Friedensallee 128), Hamburg, on 19 June 2012, with a wide range of activities from games to activities, art, theory and work experience.

About generation@: generation@ is an education project aimed at enhancing the media and social skills of under-privileged children and adolescents. The practically oriented projects focus on the creative and safe use of the Internet and digital games, also as a basis for possible future careers. In addition to creative gaming workshops, the 'Klickerkids' workshops teach kids from nine to 14 to use the Internet and computers as tools by researching and preparing their own topics. The project is a cooperation between BürgerStiftung Hamburg, Tipp24 SE and, as of 2011, jaf - Verein für medienpädagogische Praxis Hamburg e.V.. http://generationat.creative-gaming.eu/

About playhamburg12: This festival is an event organised by generation@, an education project of Tipp24, BürgerStiftung Hamburg and jaf - Verein für medienpädagogische Praxis Hamburg e.V., in cooperation with Initiative Creative Gaming e.V. and with the friendly support of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft mbH, HAW Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg, gamecity:hamburg and Kurzfilmagentur Hamburg e.V..

About Tipp24 SE: Tipp24 SE (formerly Tipp24 AG) was founded in September 1999 and holds equity interests in a number of companies in Spain, Italy and the UK, which enable participation in lottery-based games via the Internet, especially via the websites www.ventura24.es, www.giochi24.it, www.mylotto24.co.uk and www.tipp24.com. Following its successful IPO in 2005 (Prime Standard), the company was admitted to the SDAX index in June 2009 and has been trading as a European public limited company since December 2009.

Press contact:
Tipp24 SE
Isabelle Prchlik
Corporate Communications Manager
Tel.: +49 40 32 55 33-661
E-mail: presse@tipp24.de
Internet: www.tipp24.de/presse/