Success Story - Diana Todorova - Portugal

New entrepreneur: Diana Todorova

Country: Portugal

Age: 27

Status: Start-up

Sector: STEM education

Name of business: edu.at.fablab

website: www.facebook.com/steam.edu.at

The collaboration started in July 2018, after Diana contacted ANJE – Portuguese Association of Young Entrepreneurs, one of the local contact points for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program. As a new entrepreneur, Diana’s idea was to start an innovative educational program for children, related to digital fabrication. In the same time the team from Fab Lab Vigo were into starting their own educational department and they wanted to involve more people in the world of digital fabrication. So for both sides was great time to start to work together.

During the first month Diana was introduced to the team, all the machines and how to use them. With the new knowledge she gained she was able to start and develop the first workshops. She was about to test them in the upcoming SUMMER camp in the public library in Vigo.

In August Fab Lab Vigo and DIana had the summer camp in the library. There were two groups with 2 weeks workshops per each group. With the first one – the program developed by Diana was tested and with the second one with the help of the Fab Lab Vigo team they managed to start developing an educational game based on Diana’s workshops ideas. They combined all of the exercises in one topic and we test the game with the second group.

All September was time to analyse the summer camp and to prepare the program for the schools they were about the have classes in October. In October the classes started in two schools in Vigo. Every week there was one hour exercise with two different age groups 6-9 and 10-12. This was great experience for Diana to try to adapt the program to the different age groups.

November and December while working on the educational part of the agreement, other great opportunities appeared as to have a chance to create a special space for having
STEAM/Science, technology, engineering, art and math/ educational service for children. They continue learning from each other while helping each other and teaching others.
During the collaboration the skills Diana gained due to technology she had to use and production she had, now gives her the opportunity to collaborate with any Fablab around the world. Meanwhile she already had meetings with fablabs and makerspaces around Spain, which also opens her doors here she decide to stable her business in Spain, but so far she wants to make it more Global and seeks for opportunities to reach also other continents. But for the near future they will continue their collaboration with Fablab Vigo at least until April 2019.

According to the skills she developed here – they are way more than she has expected. Regarding digital fabrication now she am able to work with the 3d printers and the laser cutter. Also she managed to improve her 3D modelling skills while working on the programs and the projects for the children.

She has got to meet and understand the educational system in Galicia, which helped her project a lot. Visiting the schools, she had classes in, and the level of the technology in the school program in general helped her to prepare more proper the educational program.
In general all her expectations about this collaboration were met and some were even greater than she even have expected.

Diana's thoughts regarding the experience:
“I have been part in different exchange programs, but I do not think any of them was so successful for me as Erasmus for young entrepreneurs. During my collaboration with Fab Lab Vigo I have learned a lot but at the same time I felt part of the team and I was able to help also their projects as good as they were helping with mine.”