The seventh-grade students of “Erudito” Licėjus are starting the school year innovatively. They have the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship skills and entrepreneurship from the best professionals in the field. In a contextual entrepreneurship and technology class, in collaboration with participants from the “Lithuanian Junior Achievement” program, they learn how to create and present their innovative products.

The non-governmental organization “Lithuanian Junior Achievement,” which nurtures future leaders of Lithuania, is a leader in entrepreneurship and financial literacy education programs. They are partners of the education community, businesses, and the government, and part of the global “Junior Achievement” network. For thirty years, “Lithuanian Junior Achievement” has been implementing progressive economic education, entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, and career development programs in general education schools, vocational training institutions, and higher education institutions.

“Erudito” licėjus is one of thirteen schools in the country selected to participate in the digital entrepreneurship education program for 5th to 8th graders this year. In the remote contextual entrepreneurship and technology class organized by “Lithuanian Junior Achievement,” which is a digital innovation and entrepreneurship camp, “Erudito” licėjus students and all national seventh graders have the opportunity to become acquainted with business product development, idea refinement, and presentation, learn how business structures work, and gain practical knowledge on how to create and present their own products.

The event was coordinated by “Erudito” licėjus technology teacher, Justina Rinkūnienė. She is impressed by how engaged and active the students were in their chosen groups while creating, presenting, and developing their ideas.

“All the groups did an excellent job and presented fantastic ideas that they refined during the camp. They created appealing pitches and presented these ideas to all schools in Lithuania,” shared Justina Rinkūnienė, the technology teacher at “Erudito” licėjus Next, the seventh graders will learn how to register student companies to produce the presented products.

The teacher notes that emotional well-being and emotional intelligence development are important to the students, and many products were related to emotional health. For example, one group proposed spinning jewelry that could help individuals suffering from anxiety or attention disorders. Another group created blends of essential oils that corresponded to various emotions. Each blend came with a QR code that, when scanned, provided information about the specific emotion and how to cope with it. It also included a piece of music and specific affirmations related to that emotion. This tool teaches that all emotions should be accepted, and individuals should learn how to manage them.

To show that sustainability ideas are not foreign to seventh graders, there is a proposal to collect unused textiles and jewelry in school and create handbags or shopping bags from them.

“The students recognized the problem of excessive consumption and waste, realizing that a significant portion of these items can be recycled to create different products,” explains the teacher.

The technology specialist is also delighted that the students were able to apply their existing knowledge and skills.

“For example, the creators of handbags suggested that inserts could be made using modern technology, such as laser cutting. This way, they are learning to apply their existing knowledge and skills to create something new from an old concept.”

The teacher believes that many of these ideas will prove useful and can be implemented.

“Promoting entrepreneurship is one of the strategic areas of education at ‘Erudito’ licėjus, so we are very pleased to be part of this digital entrepreneurship education program. We hope that in the near future, we can enjoy innovative products created by our school’s students.”