From an early age, children show an impressive curiosity for everything that flashes, moves, can be programmed or controlled. The aim of the technika Karlsruhe technology initiative of CyberForum e.V. is to turn this curiosity into real skills. With practical offerings, it brings technology and computer science directly into schools and learning centres – places where a spirit of discovery and creativity are particularly alive from the third grade onwards.

The aim is to introduce children and young people to the basics of technology and computer science at an early age and in a sustainable manner. They should not only consume the digital world, but also actively help shape it. Equal opportunities play a central role in this. Girls and boys are addressed equally, deliberately breaking down gender stereotypes. Children who have little access to technology at home in particular are given the opportunity to discover their talents and develop confidence in their own abilities.

"Technical education should not be left to chance. We need programmes that reach all children – girls and boys alike – and give them the long-term opportunity to discover and develop their talents," says Dr Christiane Klobasa from technika.

In full-day lessons or as an extracurricular activity, pupils experience technology in a playful and practical way. technika supports schools in setting up technology clubs with high-quality materials from fischertechnik and powerful microcontrollers. The technika Primary School Set is used in primary schools, while the technika Secondary School Set is used in secondary schools. The systems are easy to get started with and are also flexible enough to be expanded for more demanding applications.

When using fischertechnik materials, the enthusiasm among pupils is quickly noticeable. After just a short time, they begin to create their own prototypes, automated models or programmed robots. Children and young people develop solutions based on their own ideas, try them out, improve them, discard them and optimise them. This process not only strengthens their technical understanding, but also important future skills such as problem-solving thinking, goal-oriented planning, perseverance and creative design.

technika also offers practical workshops for club leaders, supervisors and teachers. These workshops teach technical basics and in-depth content that can be directly applied in everyday school life. This creates sustainable structures that have an impact far beyond individual projects.

One participant describes his experience as follows: "In our technology club, I learn a lot about technology and programming – and it's cool to discover new things, even things that aren't covered in class. It's important to me that I can work on my own projects. I also like that I get to learn about new tools and engage with things that are really useful to me."

With technika, curiosity turns into competence – and initial construction projects may lay the foundation for the skilled workers of tomorrow.