In June 2017, the city contest of the "Participation Budget" projects, the so-called GB2, has started for the second time. And one thing was clear to us - we will not miss this opportunity, we have a too global goal. We want to transform the KPI Library into an ideal place for comfortable learning, working, communicating, creating projects where everyone can find something for themselves. And now, a few days of the Brainstorm - how to describe, how to name it - and on July 4 we submitted a "Greter's and Kryvanek's Educational Studies" competition.
What does your project cover and why did you choose this name?
The first question is easy. We are currently working on creating an open space with stylish design and educational activities in the 1st hall of the KPI Library. Such kind of "coworking", where trainings, master classes, workshops and lectures with high-quality content will be conducted. And educational studios - our first step in this direction - is precisely the high-quality content, those educational activities that we can sculpt across the library. And here it is irrelevant whether humanity is our user, or technician - the content will be for everyone. Graphic design workshops, open lectures on economic literacy and 3-D printing, meetings with employers, disputes with scholars - all in the KPI Library. And our students, researchers and educators will be able to carry out their own activities. Or just tell us which speaker they would like to have an opportunity to listen to or what topic they are interested in and we will try to organize it. The main thing - the desire to develop, move in the right direction. And we will help.
The second question is a bit more complicated. For our students, the words "coworking", "educational space" - are more understandable than the "studios". But we could not name the project simply "Coworking", because under the rules of the GB all projects should be implemented during the year and be invested in the amount of 2 million (the largest amount that can be allocated to the implementation of the project). That's why we stopped at educational studios - high-quality content. It remained only to tie them somehow to the KPI. We decided to give them the name of Jacob Greter and Joseph Kryvaneka - two entrepreneurs who have once founded the Kyiv Iron and Steel Works, known to us as Bolshevik. Then it was such a "boom" in the industry, because the plant became the main enterprise of heavy industry in the city. At the same time, its founders understood the importance of training, the importance of merging their specialists - their enterprise was directly related to the KPI, as the shareholders of the plant invested in the creation of the Kiev Polytechnic. We hope that our studios will become the "boom".
Well, then there was a difficult phase of countless negotiations with the KSCA, approval of estimates, protection of ideas, public discussion and, eventually, voting. It was necessary to be interested in the project of our students, researchers, teachers so that they saw themselves in these educational studios, realized that all this is happening for them. We talked to them in the library, at lectures, in the dormitories - anywhere. And on October the 30th it became known: we won, having 3254 votes. Educational studios will be realized! We will purchase technical equipment and modern furniture for our users: computers, laptops, projector, telescope, flipcharts, soft sofas, comfortable chairs and tables, etc. And all this thanks to the support of our KPI students
We are now looking for partners, trainers and volunteers to help us quickly implement Educational Studies. We believe that here we will find such support. And more information about our steps can be found on the pages of the library in social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Telegram). We are opened to new acquaintances.