“STEM Education & Soft Skills”- Completion of the First Year of the Innovative Educational Program
On Saturday, June 21, 2025, the first year of the innovative educational program “STEM Education and Soft Skills” will be completed. The program is implemented by Together for Children in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). Launched in October 2024, the program involves elementary and middle school students from 25 public schools in the Attica region and has a duration of two years.
The aim of the program is to introduce children to the exciting world of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through hands-on and playful activities that combine theory with practice. It focuses on strengthening students’ skills in science, technology, and digital literacy. At the same time, it emphasizes the development of 35 soft skills—such as collaboration, emotional regulation, decision-making, and critical thinking—that support self-confidence and social integration.
Forty students, divided into two groups (20 girls from 5th and 6th grade and 20 middle school students of both genders), participate in the program free of charge, ensuring equal access to quality education.
A notable feature of the program is that the elementary class consists exclusively of girls, aiming to promote gender equality in fields such as engineering and modern technology, where girls have traditionally been underrepresented due to prevailing social norms.
The classes are held once a week by experienced and specialized educators at the state-of-the-art laboratories of the Department of Primary Education at NKUA, hosted at the Marasleio Didaskaleio.
Collaboration, Creativity & Imagination:
The program encourages collaboration and the joy of learning through active, experiential, and participatory teaching methods, moving beyond grading and competition.
For example, the project of building a robot that can participate in a race becomes an opportunity for children to learn through doing—learning by doing. Working in teams, students are invited to communicate, disagree constructively, make decisions, and organize their ideas step by step. They learn to think logically and act collectively. Through this process, they acquire practical STEM knowledge and become familiar with using technology as a tool to solve real-world problems.
In the soft skills unit, under the theme of civic responsibility, students took on the challenge of “migrating” to a new, uninhabited country. Working in groups, they were tasked with building this new society from the ground up. Demonstrating remarkable maturity, they distinguished between needs and wants and placed human rights at the center of their planning—through a process that felt more like a game than a lesson but activated their imagination, critical thinking, and cooperation.
Statements from Program Leaders:
Ms. Lenia Kontogouri, General Director of Together for Children, stated:
“This program significantly contributes to the development of both cognitive and soft skills, enhancing children’s creativity, collaboration, and self-confidence. Within a non-competitive, participatory, and experiential learning environment, we observe meaningful progress in students’ concentration, time management, and overall school performance.”
Dr. Thomas Bambalis, Professor of Pedagogy and Lifelong Learning at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Scientific Director of the Program, emphasized:
“The program’s innovation lies in the fact that, for the first time in Greece, a higher education institution offers a free-of-charge program to primary and secondary students as an extracurricular activity. Its goal is the simultaneous development of practical STEM, digital, and soft skills, through a holistic approach that incorporates active, experiential, and participatory teaching methods.”
Professor Konstantinos Skordoulis, Chair of the Department of Primary Education at NKUA and responsible for designing and supervising the STEM education components of the program, added:
“Students are able to bring their ideas to life, developing creativity and imagination. Acquiring new technical skills and solving complex problems boosts their self-confidence and equips them to face future challenges, contributing to their personal empowerment.”
Warm Thanks:
The program is implemented with the kind support of the GEK TERNA Group and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation. In addition, Dole provides fruit to the students, and Ecolife donated reusable water bottles—promoting healthy eating and environmental awareness.
