The Solaride project started in 2020 on the initiative of two students of the University of Tartu to build the first solar car in the Baltics. Today this is an interdisciplinary education and cooperation project whose main focus is the development of future talents and the popularization of technology education. More than 300 high school students, university students, mentors, trainers and partners are involved in the project.
It is a collaborative project where people from social and natural science backgrounds join forces. They learn to work and overcome obstacles together, understand each other and respect different roles. It is a place to take responsibility, make mistakes and learn from experience. It is real life that teaches.
Solaride mimics a medium-sized technology company in terms of its work environment and structure, giving young people a realistic and hands-on experience of running an organization. At the same time, young people themselves are important shapers of organizational development and take real responsibility.
Our core values and activities are focused on young people who are participating in this program. Our goal is to form them to be adaptable to life changes and entrepreneurial in later life, whether in the form of real entrepreneurship or, more broadly, entrepreneurship and an 'I give a damn' mentality.
Why Solaride?
* In the next 10 years, Estonia will be lacking ⅔ of the engineers needed in the manufacturing industry
* The Estonian information space does not sufficiently support the entry of young people, including women, into the field of technology
* We need a stronger link between the social and natural sciences
* We need young people who do not work on autopilot but are ready to create a better future with their attitudes and actions