A few years ago Vilnius city municipality launched the "Fabrication Laboratory" project - it allowed gymnasiums and schools to purchase new equipment that can be used to create and quickly produce various products - from prefabricated space decorations to pendants or even plastic visors to cover the face. The basis of the so-called "FabLab" is four devices that allow the rapid production of an individual product: a 3D printer, a laser cutter, a milling and drilling machine (CNC) and a plotter, which is usually intended for the production of advertising posters and stickers.
On September 9, at the Jonas Basanavičius Gymnasium, 35 schools where representatives of the open technical creative workshop "FabLab" were established shared their experience of working with new equipment and promoting their entrepreneurship. The youth entrepreneurship education organization "Lietuvos Junior Achievement" presented the teachers with ideas on how to make the use of this equipment gain momentum: to encourage schoolchildren to create their own business, to participate in competitions of young companies, and to make their own product using the equipment in the school.

The participants communicated and shared best practices on how students can use FabLab equipment while creating a young company in the AcceleratorX youth entrepreneurship program, and teachers can enrich the process of student entrepreneurship education through workshops. Students and teachers also shared their impressions of participating in the Youth Empowered program. This is an educational program jointly implemented by "Lietuvos Junior Achievement" and the organization's investor, the company "Coca-Cola HBC Lietuva", which aims to contribute to the prevention of youth unemployment in Lithuania. "Youth Empowered" helps young people get to know themselves and acquire skills necessary for the future labor market. The program teaches communication basics, business skills, project management, time management, sales basics and other skills necessary for a successful career in the ever-changing world of the 21st century.
The organization "Lietuvos Junior Achievement" encourages schoolchildren to participate in the "AcceleratorX" program - to create their own young companies and try to sell their created products or services at real fairs called "eXpo". FabLabs, which have appeared in schools and gymnasiums, make it easier for students to make professional products, by programming the equipment to make them in larger quantities in a shorter time.
Advertising printing tool turns school corridors into a maze of games
VGTU engineering lyceum and Vilnius Jesuit high school decided to take the purchase of equipment into their own hands. Marius Narvilas, a technology teacher at the Jesuit high school, says that the high schools cooperated, communicated directly with Chinese manufacturers and ordered equipment that was a little different from the standard one, that better met their expectations. So, first of all, it was an "entrepreneurial challenge" for the gymnasiums themselves.
"We wanted it to really be a piece of equipment that students can do something with, not just see what it looks like here. So that it serves and that as many students as possible can use it. The equipment was adapted to our needs, but for that reason the entire purchase process took about a year," M. Narvilas recalled.

During that time, premises with a separate entrance were prepared and repaired in the gymnasium for such a laboratory.
"The emergence of such a project in the city of Vilnius is an innovative step. Well, this is a challenge for school communities. Because it is easier to "make friends" with one technology, with another it is more complicated, as well as to manage it. It is easier to work with a laser cutter and a 3D printer," the teacher assessed.
On the other hand, you don't need just a spark of an idea and the equipment can take on a completely different meaning - Mr. Narvilas recently heard a story from a school that uses a plotter (advertising printing device) to create stickers on the school's stairs, walls, and ceiling. In this way, students create various labyrinths and their own games inside the school.
Ideas for interdisciplinary cooperation are born in the laboratory
M. Narvilas adds that the FabLab idea is very good, but it should be remembered that such an initiative also requires additional teacher time for maintenance of this equipment and learning how to work with it.
"Even though I am a teacher who is curious and tries new things, the time just flies when I touch this equipment. And we all have the same amount of time, although it may seem to some that technology teachers have so much of it that they just don't know where to put it, - smiles the interviewer. - Therefore, I was very happy with the decision of the Jesuit high school to create another full-time position specifically for working with equipment and cooperating with teachers of various subjects. By the way, this was the municipality's recommendation. We got a really curious, creative person who is an engineer-pedagogue."

The interviewee also reveals that when creating FabLab, they considered the Vytautas Didijos Gymnasium across the street and the possibility of cooperation.
"And it worked!" When the children came from Vytautas the Great's high school, they saw all the opportunities that they don't have with themselves. We worked together until it collapsed quarantine and now those opportunities for cooperation, in other words, mixing are frozen in limbo for some time," M. Narvilas sighed.
Marius Narvilas himself, even before the installation of modern FabLab equipment, used to receive schoolchildren in the gymnasium who wanted to create some kind of product, establish a young company and sell their manufactured product. His students have previously developed heated gloves. According to M. Narvilos, it was not yet possible to produce a commercial product with the new FabLab equipment, because the high school students were just starting to get to know it better and generate potential business ideas, but they were sent home for several months due to the quarantine.

"I think that this equipment and technology should be included in formal education. Of course, not all children will be "hooked" or interested in this, but it is necessary to tell everyone. You also need to realize that it takes time. Not so soon comes the time when you say to someone: "Wow, but I can do this and that with this equipment!" - says M. Narvilas. - Also, together with the organization "Lietuvos Junior Achievement", we are developing the idea that teachers of various subjects could collaborate in this laboratory: art, technology, drama and entrepreneurship. FabLab provides a space where different disciplines can intertwine. We brought every high school teacher here, showed them how everything works, and let them make one other product," said M. Narvilas.
Of course, for the time being, all beautiful cooperation initiatives are blocked by the public health situation: at the moment, high school students from older and younger classes cannot work together in the laboratory.
One product for yourself, the other for sale
Jolita Stepurevičiūtė, technology teacher of Đžuolyno junior high school, said that junior high school students work with FabLab equipment both in lessons and in the technology club.
"We made postcards with the kids, with pictures cut out of plywood, then we integrated LEDs into them to light up when opened. Colorful illuminated postcards came out, in which the wires of the LED lamps were installed, the students connected the electric circuit themselves," J. Stepurevičiūtė recalls.
After getting involved in the activities of the young company, high school students used their classmate's talent for drawing. The girl drew snowflakes, which were laser cut out of paper and placed in large plastic bubbles. This is how the original Christmas tree toys were born. Another schoolgirl skillfully drew silhouette images of Vilnius - they were also cut with a laser.
First of all, the children made many crafts for themselves: pendants, earrings, magnets, personalized Christmas tree toys.
"At first, everyone wants to make something for themselves. However, later, when we had the opportunity to participate in the fair of young companies, to show our products, the children felt that people were interested and actually bought, which really impressed them. Next, while preparing for the Kaziuk fair, we already worked on the following principle: one work for ourselves, the other for Kaziuk. We explained that with the money received, more materials, raw materials for works can be purchased," J. Stepurevičiūtė recalls.
"Ažuolyno" pro-gymnasium managed to secure another source of funding, so now there is a lot of equipment here: two CNC machines, two 3D printers. This allows you to produce more different products at the same time.
"I emphasize to the children that the opportunities we have today are equal to what they had, what only students of certain specialties at the university could work with," said J. Stepurevičiūtė. She added that pre-gymnasium students who have spent long hours at FabLab are already choosing their future high school based on whether it also has such a laboratory.
Lietuvos Junior Achievement is a non-governmental organization, the leader of economic education and entrepreneurship education programs in Lithuania. The organization's programs are financed by private sponsors and foundations: patron SEB Bank, strategic impact investor Moody's and strategic sponsors: UPS, Narbutas.