ATOMI: Identifying and supporting highly gifted individuals reach their full potential
Our bank has long been committed to supporting education through various initiatives. Recently, we renewed our longstanding support for ATOMI, an organization dedicated to identifying and supporting individuals with extraordinary intelligence.
Last year, a unique book, translated into Albanian, was placed in the hands of parents in Kosova: “You Know Your Child is Gifted When...” by Judy Galbraith. This useful guide helps parents raising their gifted children. Translated and published by the ATOMI Institute, the book provides insights and addresses commonly asked questions on this subject. It explores how to identify and understand gifted children, outlines their distinctive traits, and offers advice on how to help them grow and succeed. The book was distributed for free at ATOMI’s offices and bookshops in Prishtina.
The publishing of the book, with the support of our bank, is just a small part of the organization's work in supporting individuals gifted with high intelligence. Established in 2011 originally as a project within an NGO, ATOMI later became an independent entity - the ATOMI Institute.
The institute aims to identify and support individuals with extraordinary intelligence, whom they call ‘the Atomists.’ It focuses on the early identification of children and young people with exceptional intellectual potential, providing them with opportunities and a specialized education program tailored to their unique abilities, ambitions, interests, and socio-economic circumstances.
Support for ATOMI is part of Raiffeisen Bank's broader commitment to educational initiatives in Kosova. This year, the bank has pledged to continue its support for the organization with a new agreement in place.
Ms. Luljeta Berisha, a psychological assessor and counselor at ATOMI, provides details into how the program works.
“All services and support activities for the Atomists are provided free of charge by the ATOMI Institute. These services are specifically designed to meet the needs of the Atomists and offer support that is not typically available in regular schools,” she says, adding that to date, ATOMI has supported more than 400 Atomists through its programs.
One such service is Shkolla+, which offers advanced lectures, courses, and activities held on Saturdays in addition to regular school. Berisha says around 30 Saturdays are scheduled throughout the year.
Other programs include the summer camp for the newly identified, a joint activity held in the summer, offering an intensive academic, social, and recreational program for about two weeks. Mentorship is another initiative aimed at connecting adult Atomists from cycles 1-3 with younger Atomists still in pre-university stages. The program encourages mutual support for personal and academic development, with mentors being experienced Atomists with specialized knowledge in various fields.
The Director of the Institute, Ms. Naime Hoxha, has worked for years with these children, witnessing their success in various fields.
"The Atomists' successes have been numerous over the years. Notably, they have excelled in their studies at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Princeton, UCLA, MIT, Minerva, Yale, Harvard, and the
United States Military Academy at West Point. Thanks to their exceptional intellectual potential and relentless work, many of these Atomists have earned full scholarships," she says.
"Several of them have since graduated and returned to Kosova to continue contributing to the country. Furthermore, many of them have proudly represented our country in various international competitions such as IMO, IGO, EGMO and gained numerous medals. " Hoxha adds.
The success of these extraordinary students motivates Raiffeisen Bank in Kosovo to continue its commitment to supporting meaningful educational causes and projects, with ATOMI being one of the bank's proud achievements.
[This article was originally published in the third edition of RaiMagazine, the bank's newsletter]