Planting the Seeds of the Future

Students are constantly told they are the future and that they need to stand out, be bold, and show off their talents in order to secure a future for themselves. That is, of course, easier said than done, as most lack the equipment (or the knowledge that said equipment exists and is available to them) necessary to make projects meet the vision they had planned. Some universities decided to tackle this issue by providing free coworking spaces that are designed to be used by students for their projects, ensuring that the lack of equipment is no longer an issue in the creative process.

Making Coworking spaces work

Meeting rooms. 3D printers. Kitchen areas. Cheap Coffee. While all these things are absolutely essential to guarantee that students will use these spaces to their full potential, they alone are not enough. There needs to be a subtle invitation to use these spaces, to make sure that the creative students, who are willing to go beyond the classroom, know they have not only a place that provides tools for them to reach their goals, but that also actively challenges and tests their skills.

Competition breeds Innovation

Helsinki ́s Aalto University has a perfect approach to this topic. Every year, they have a competition where groups of multidisciplinary students from all around the world are given a brief by an actual company, which results in a product development project that has the duration of about 9 months, where the products are exposed in a public event where everyone, from politicians and CEOs, to students and kindergarteners can all see and discover on their own. For the students participating, as was my case, it is incredibly satisfying to work and accomplish something that was done so autonomously by your own group. Is a screw loose? Kind of. Are you afraid the booth will fall apart? Definitely. Are you nervous about talking to that important politician who’s interested in your project? 100%. But that’s how people learn and grow in order to meet their goals..

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"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail." -Confucius

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Meeting our potential

If we want society to evolve for the better, we need to provide an optimal environment where students can learn, fail, try, and grow on their own, with support and help whenever they need. That is the way we have to ensure humanity keeps creating, trying new things, and improving itself, guaranteeing that everyone can meet their potential to the fullest.

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