On March 12, 2025, a Grant Agreement was signed with the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the National Foundation for Civil Society Development for the ESF+ project SF.2.4.06.04.0125, “STEP for STEM.”
The Croatian Society of Geotechnical Engineers implements the project in partnership with the Croatian Society for Environmental Engineering, the Scout Group “Varaždin”, the Association of Graduates of the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, the Society of Civil Engineers and Technicians Varaždin, the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, the Count Janko Drašković Elementary School Klenovnik, the Andrija Kačić Miošić Elementary School from Donja Voća, the “Gustav Krklec” Elementary School Maruševec, and the 4th Elementary School Varaždin.
The total budget of the project is €295,869.01, and the project will last three years. The project is co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund + (€251,488.66) and the state budget (€44,380.35).
The project will enable capacity building for the implementation of STEM promotion activities among children and youth for at least 10 employees and volunteers of HDIG and partner civil society organisations, who will participate in training activities at the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering and in study visits to relevant institutions, organisations, and associations.
During the project, 6 Small STEM School programs will be developed: environment (air, water, and soil), astronomy, 3D modelling, and Lego robotics, which will then be implemented repeatedly until the end of the project. The plan is to implement at least 120 workshops at the STEM Center for Children and Youth in Varaždin, in which at least 900 primary school children are expected to participate.
Among the planned project activities, it is also worth highlighting 36 STEM promotion activities in public places in Varaždin, Maruševac, Klenovnik, and Donja Voća, which will be carried out throughout all three years of the project.
HDIO will, taking into account the professional competencies of its members, organise the development of programs and the implementation of 3 Small STEM Schools for ages 1st – 3rd grade of elementary school, which will thematically cover the components of the environment: soil, water, and air, and will be held in the STEM Center. For the development and implementation of the aforementioned programs, HDIO will engage the necessary number of volunteers or hire the necessary number of small school workshop leaders.
You can find more information about the project here.
The project is co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund + and the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.