2024-04-16 14:33:42
Offers to turn science into a game
Young people have created an educational game that makes it much easier and more fun to learn the science of mathematics. The innovative game of “Dijdvarieių” did not go unnoticed by business experts. The team of high school students “Avatarika” triumphed on Friday, April 12, at the regional eXpo of educational student companies held in Šiauliai. Businesses created by 41 students were presented at the event organized by Šiauliai Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (ŠPPAR), Šiauliai City Municipality and the youth entrepreneurship promotion organization “Lietuvos Junior Achievement”. Young people from 16 different schools of the Šiauliai region participated here. The students’ business ideas were evaluated by a panel of experts from various business fields. After long deliberations and discussions, it was decided to award the first place to the team “Avatarika” from Didždvaris Gymnasium.
It was a big surprise for the guys who created the educational math game. The young people said that they did not expect such a great rating, and the idea of creating a game came quite naturally, seeing the big gaps in young people’s math knowledge.
“Games are quite a good way to learn because people enjoy the learning process itself more. The idea arose when we noticed what the results of mathematics exams have been for several years in a row. That’s when we thought, why not take advantage of this opportunity and combine science and entertainment – with this game you can have fun and train your mind at the same time,” says Rokas, a high school student who came up with the idea.
Young people say that this game, apart from training the mind, also has a social mission: in times when everyone has their noses stuck in smart devices, and live communication is being replaced by virtual ones, this kind of entertainment helps friends and families get together, spend time together and strengthen mutual ties.
Didn’t expect such a rating
Teacher Diana Virbickaitė helped high school students prepare for the competition. The teacher said she was very proud of her modest students. At first, the guys didn’t even want to participate in the competition, because they didn’t think their idea was good enough. However, it is obvious that the young people greatly underestimated themselves. The chairwoman of the commission, representative of LIMA, Giedrė Brazlauskaitė, says that she awarded the first place to this team, taking into account the relevance and potential of the idea.
“We chose this team because they really hit on the hot topic of poor math skills and the fact that math is a complex science. They came up with a game that can be integrated into the lesson. We believe that this is an idea fix that could facilitate mathematics lessons from the primary grades. There is still something to develop there, but the idea itself can certainly be purified, generated and given to the ministry, applied in lessons”, smiles the chairman of the commission.
“Avatarika” not only triumphed in the competition, won the monetary prize of 400 euros established by ŠPPAR, but also won a ticket to the National eXpo in Vilnius on May 17, where the educational student companies that have made the most progress during the academic year will compete for the title of the best in Lithuania and the opportunity to represent Lithuania in Europe at the entrepreneurship festival “Gen-E” in Italy.
Environmentally friendly ideas
G. Brazlauskaitė notices that this year’s competition has paid a lot of attention to sustainability and ecology.
This is Kornelija, a schoolgirl representing the team “Pumpkins” of Šiauliai’s Simon Daukantas Engineering Gymnasium, telling us that she came up with a very original way to use pumpkins. In November, an educational company established by high school students can turn this vegetable, not everyone’s favorite, into a unique bracelet, pendant or even earrings. The girl says that she wanted to show that pumpkin can be used not only in the kitchen. With the help of imagination, a vegetable can turn into a real work of art.
“Not everyone eats and likes pumpkins, so we wanted to show that you can use such things in unexpected and unconventional ways. Although we also produce other products, jewelry is the most popular. It’s a really inexpensive, original and environmentally friendly way to dress up,” says the girl.
The student team of Šiauliai University Gymnasium, which established the “wax bank”, aims to spread the philosophy of sustainability and “no waste” with its business idea. Emilija, a high school student, says that many people like to light a candle at home, which provides warmth and coziness. However, most of the time, the candles never burn completely, and their remains are thrown away. Therefore, the schoolchildren thought of collecting such remnants of used candles and, after melting them, bring them to a new life.
Also, creative schoolgirls came up with the idea that it is possible to save flowers that are no longer suitable for sale by making organic sage and rose leaf incense from them for the home. They cooperate with one flower shop in Kaunas, which gives away blooming flowers instead of throwing them away.
Viltė, a schoolgirl who makes incense with her own hands, says that in the past, it was believed that the smoke of these plants helps ward off evil spirits in the house. Of course, not everyone believes this, but a pleasant and environmentally friendly aroma really helps to create a cozy home environment.
And so the seventh graders of Šiauliai’s Romuvas pro-gymnasium decided to create an environmentally friendly electronic device that would really benefit many. They built a phone holder with an external solar panel. Such a device allows you to charge your mobile anywhere and anytime using an environmentally friendly energy source.
The desire of young people to create is pleasing
Edita Grigaliauskienė, acting as the temporary general director of ŠPPAR, says that modern youth are full of brilliant thoughts and ideas, they just need to be encouraged and directed in the right direction. This is what such events are for. “The EXPO competition for young business developers is organized as part of the implementation of the youth entrepreneurship promotion program financed by Šiauliai city municipality. These competitions are a great opportunity not only to learn, but also to apply business principles in practice, to acquire valuable skills. The heart of the program is not only the mentorship of experienced entrepreneurs, advice on how to develop your idea intelligently, but also real, this year – curious customers and buyers of the city of Saules. Not only the municipality of Šiauliai contributed to the realization of the event, but also a large number of companies from Šiauliai: they established targeted nominations, allocated funds to the prize fund, came to communicate with schoolchildren and share their experiences. We all understand that developing the business mindset of young people is extremely important for the economy of our city, for sustainable business development in the region. Only creative, proactive and entrepreneurial youth will be able to take the initiative in the future, introduce innovations, and take risks when creating businesses”.
2024-04-16 14:33:42