New spaces unlock potential of Ukraine’s young inventors
The spaces are inspiring and supporting young people to create innovative projects.
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UNICEF Ukraine, together with the educational foundation GoGlobal, has launched the first-ever network of ESTEAM (Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) spaces in Ukraine, helping young people to create innovative new projects using technology such as laser cutters, 3D printers and heat presses.
The ‘Ko_Laba’ spaces also provide virtual reality headsets, board games and books to help young participants bring their ideas to life.
The first Ko_Laba space opened in Irpin in 2024. Since then, 12 locations have been established across the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions. Each Ko_Laba space is staffed by mentors who help young people develop both technical and social skills, organize events and create an inspiring environment for self-realization. So far, the spaces have welcomed over 26,000 young visitors aged 10 to 19.
Ko_Laba is not just a place for working on projects – it is also a learning platform. Regular workshops help youth develop soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, leadership, critical thinking and public speaking, as well as hard skills including 3D printing, robotics, programming and graphic design.
Teaming up to improve street lighting in Chuhuiv
Sixteen-year-old Roman was born and raised in the small city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region. A final-year high school student, he dreams of pursuing a technical degree and becoming an engineer. Since childhood, he has been passionate about radio electronics, but due to the lack of local clubs, he had to learn on his own through online videos.
Roman’s local Ko_Laba is located in a shelter, providing a safe space for children and youth to engage in creativity and science, despite the ongoing war. He discovered the space by chance when he was struggling to create a casing for one of his projects. Using its 3D printer, he was able to solve the issue and also found a place where he could experiment and collaborate with like-minded peers. Now, he regularly visits Ko_Laba and works on new projects with a group. One of their latest innovations is a smart street lighting control system, designed to address the problem of poorly lit streets in their community.
“We met with local utility representatives and the community’s chief electrician, who explained the reasons for power outages and the current system’s shortcomings,” says Roman. “This insight formed the foundation of our project, as we wanted to make it both user friendly and energy efficient.”
With this knowledge, Roman and friends Vladyslav and Mykyta developed a prototype of their smart street lighting control system. Its implementation could improve street lighting, enhance safety for pedestrians at night and reduce the risk of traffic accidents. The system can be integrated into existing infrastructure, features an optimized lighting algorithm, automatically monitors its condition, and even adjusts the colour temperature of the light to improve visibility based on weather conditions like rain or fog.
“We had three mentors from Ko_Laba who helped us choose the right materials and technologies for the model. The base was cut by hand, while the buildings, pedestrian paths and street lights were made from plywood using a laser cutter and 3D printer. I never imagined I’d get to work with such equipment, but here I had the chance to both create a prototype and learn new skills.”
Roman and his friends plan to continue working on improving street lighting. They have already reached an agreement with local authorities to test their system on one of Chuhuiv’s streets. If successful, they hope to expand the project further. Furthermore, they are developing other innovations, including a smart home system, an environmental monitoring device and a gas leak detection alarm.
“I come to Ko_Laba because I have many ideas and the drive to bring them to life. For me, it’s not just a workspace – it’s a hub where ideas are born that would be difficult to realize elsewhere. It’s a centre for technical creativity.”
Developing devices for child safety and animal welfare
Eleven-year-old Illia lives in Khoroshiv, in the Zhytomyr region. He is passionate about programming and 3D modeling and hopes to pursue a career in this field. A year ago, there were no technical clubs in his community, so he had to travel to Zhytomyr for classes.
“I used to go to a computer academy in Zhytomyr, where many topics were related to 3D modeling,” says Illia. “I got so interested that I started learning it in depth. I understand that for large-scale projects in the future, 3D modeling will be essential.”
In 2024, a Ko_Laba space opened in his local area, enabling him to develop his skills without needing to travel long distances. At Ko-Laba, he had access to the necessary equipment and began working on his own projects.
Illia and his friends — Erika, Maria, and Bohdan — want their ideas to benefit the community and help solve real problems. Recently, they learned about a local animal shelter, where its two staff members struggle to feed all the animals on time. To help them, the team designed an automatic feeder.
“We thought this feeder could at least slightly ease their workload. Our device dispenses food in portions every few minutes, so staff only need to fill the reservoir, and the system does the rest.”
This innovative feeder helps sustain bird populations during winter by automatically detecting their presence and distributing food in portions, preventing it from freezing. Illia says the system can be scaled up for larger animals, which is the team’s next goal.
“I’m happy to showcase my skills in my hometown and no longer have to travel to Zhytomyr. Ko_Laba is a place where you can relax, take a break from daily routines, share ideas, create projects and learn new things.”
Creating adaptive technology for people with disabilities
Nineteen-year-old Kateryna and 18-year-old Diana attend university in Chernihiv. When a Ko_Laba space opened in their city, they decided to visit and explore new opportunities.
“In our inclusive education classes, we met children who struggled to hold pencils or brushes due to upper limb impairments. Their enthusiasm inspired us, and we realized we could create a mouth adapter to help them express their creativity.”
Their goal is to make the adapter, which will help people to write and draw, accessible to everyone. After experimenting with different materials, they created 3D models and used Ko_Laba’s 3D printer to develop a working prototype.
“Ko_Laba significantly improves opportunities for children, teenagers and students in Ukraine,” says Kateryna. “With many studying remotely, they mostly see things through a screen. But here, they have hands-on opportunities to learn and create.”
The Ko_Laba project is implemented by the educational foundation GoGlobal, with the support of UNICEF Ukraine, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank, the Government of Belgium, the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
