This time, sTARTUp Day has partnered up with TransferWise, an Estonian-born unicorn and global tech company that helps to move money around the world in the best possible way, to make the Youth Area more exciting than ever before. Alvar Lumberg, Engineering Lead at TransferWise will guide youngsters through a product building workshop to create and prototype a real product or service that would help to solve real-life problems. Tell me about creating our own future!

This time, sTARTUp Day has partnered up with TransferWise to make the Youth Area more exciting than ever before.

Students who have previously participated in TransferWise product building workshop have said that they enjoyed the teamwork the most. They were surprised that the most challenging part was to find a great product idea. Students all agreed that it's crucial to think through all possible scenarios and validate ideas with others.

Erik from 10th grade said that the best way to learn new things is by talking to others because it broadens the mind. "Teammates' thoughts might give you new ideas," he added. Linda from 12th grade liked that the workshop format enables students to meet professional mentors who can pass on their knowledge to the younger generation. "It's a cool way to learn new things."

Playfulness is the best trigger for young people!

Ede Tamkivi, sTARTUp Day Youth Area program advisor and founder of the young inventor’s summer school Springboard finds that playfulness is the best trigger for young people. “Teens love the opportunity to create something themselves and to manage their own projects. They deserve more trust and should be allowed to discover the world on their own. And then nudged in the right direction when the time is right. Through Springboard summer school and other projects, we have offered young people precisely these kinds of opportunities – we encourage them to use tech to bring their ideas to life and inspire them through experienced entrepreneurs' stories."

Of course, workshops aren’t the only way to learn about tech. A study commissioned by TransferWise and conducted by the University of Tartu shows that tech companies can encourage young people with their career choice. The study was completed in May 2019 and focused on both IT education and career choices. "The results of the study show that middle school kids appreciate company visits highly – they inspire young people and give them a clearer understanding of everyday life in a tech company. In addition to office visits, we organize various events to show young people that IT is not just programming or repairing computers," says Alvar Lumberg.

"IT is not just programming or repairing computers," says Alvar Lumberg.

“We're very excited to give youngsters a positive learning experience through a product building workshop, which hopefully will generate greater interest in the technology sector and entrepreneurship.”

sTARTUp Day will take place on 29–31 January. Sign up to the product building workshop here and see the full Youth Area program here.

Meanwhile, check out how difficult tech terms can be easily explained through everyday concepts!

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