National Future Day 2026: “Why isn't it doing that?”

It was supposed to be a square. On the screen there is a staircase. A brief frown, a glance at the girl next to her, then the question that will be asked many more times that day: “Why isn’t it doing that?”

On 12 November 2026, six girls spent National Future Day (the Swiss day on which school students spend a working day with an adult) with us in Sursee: Mia, Evelyn, Amélie, Mona, Katharina and Mia. They had signed up through the special project “Mädchen-Informatik-Los!”, which brings girls into professions where they are still rarely found. For many of them it was the first day they told a computer themselves what to do: with XLogo, where you type in commands, and with Scratch, where you snap colourful blocks together.

Hosts who still remember

The day was led by Lion and Riccardo, our two apprentices. Not so long ago, they themselves sat in front of a program for the first time that simply would not do what it was supposed to. Perhaps that is why they explained things so patiently. They sat down next to the girls, looked at the screen with them and asked questions back instead of giving away the answer.

And at some point it happens: a block is moved, the figure sets off, turns the right way, and there it is, the square. It is only a small figure on a screen. But anyone who has made it move themselves knows something at that moment that was only a guess before: I can do this.

Between robots and pizza

At lunchtime there was pizza, and anyone who needed a break from programming found it with our robots. On the floor, one of them drew exactly the lines the girls had programmed into it beforehand. Our little robot Emo played games with the girls, danced and sang for them. Lea helped to get the robots going. Sandro also dropped by during the day. Our CEO made a point of welcoming the six participants in person.

Nobody went home empty-handed. Stickers, pens, caps and shirts from xappido were ready, and each girl could choose what she liked. And to say goodbye, Emo set off a little firework for joy.

But what stays at the end of the day is not the square. It is the experience that getting stuck is part of it, and that you get further anyway. That is as true for girls on Future Day as it is for our whole team, every day.

Perhaps in a few years one of them will sit on the other side of the table, like Lion and Riccardo today, and explain to a girl why the figure turns the wrong way. We would be very happy about that.

Thank you to Mia, Evelyn, Amélie, Mona, Katharina and Mia for their curiosity and their perseverance. Thank you to the parents who sent their daughters to us, and to the organisers of National Future Day. You will find the video of the day below.