let the adventure begin with SoBaTo
Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
By
Project partners:
• Maritime Development Center of Bornholm,
Denmark
• ATI erc gGmbH education, research and
furtherance of cooperations Schwerin/ Wismar,
Germany
• Gdansk Entrepreneurial Foundation, Poland
1. statement
The SoBaTo concept is a competition
and it most be an activity in a row of
activities!
2. statement
The SoBaTo concept is a individual
competition and a social and
networking event!
“This was an
amazing experience,
and I really hope I
can participate on
Bornholm. Great job
organizing it!”
Quote from a SoBaTo participant March 2014 Gdansk
1. statement
The SoBaTo concept is a competition and it most be an activity in a row
of activities!
During the pilot projects three SoBaTo event were held starting in
Schwerin Germany, then Gdansk Poland and finally on Bornholm,
Denmark. After each event a number of new ideas were discussed to
develop the finial concept
• The German TechnOlympics concept was to be turned into a
Southern Baltic TechnOlympic concept – the event!
• How to find participants – SoBaTo game!
The event!
The event: The competition
a.
SoBaTo is held on a Saturday. It is voluntarily and not a part of school
work.
b.
The event has two sessions, a knowledge test and a practical part with
four or five stations.
c.
The age group 14 – 19 years old, are divided into two groups in the
knowledge test. It means that the elder get more difficult questions
but the practical test are equally
d.
The questions in the knowledge test are common knowledge
questions as well as specific tasks given by from companies.
e.
In the practical stations the first priority of the tasks
are presented by companies and second priority are
brain twisting tasks.
The event: a
SoBaTo is held on a Saturday. It is voluntarily and not a part
of school work.
The argument for this is that it does tell something about a person, what she or
he choose to do voluntary.
The courage to go for something of your interest is important
It is not a part of school work BUT schools are important partners for finding
participants and the schools have been very helpful and engaged during the pilot
project.
The event: b
The event has two sessions, a knowledge test and a
practical part with four or five stations.
All participants are divided into groups max 6 persons in each and from all
nationalities and age groups. During the competition each participant do follow
the group but all questions are individual.
Half of the groups starts with knowledge test and the rest circles systematically
through the practical tasks. These are scheduled 20 minutes each.
All participants have a number and gets points after ending a task
The event: c
The age group 14 – 19 years old, are divided into two groups
in the knowledge test. It means that the elder get more
difficult questions but the practical test are equally
There has to be some kind of difference between the two age groups for the
game to be challenging, and it is done in the knowledge test. The questions are
more difficult for the elder group.
In the practical tasks it is not important as the young age group sometimes is
even better the eldest and there will be a winner in each group so they are not
competing.
The points of the practical task have a higher weight then the knowledge test.
2/3 of points comes from the practical test and 1/3 from the knowledge test, as
it sometimes is just to do guessing in the knowledge test.
The event: d
The questions in the knowledge test are common knowledge
questions as well as specific tasks given by from companies.
The questions are most common knowledge chosen by the organizer and
representatives of small medium sizes companies. Also some written tasks from
the companies, that are specific a special sector can be used. For specific
questions from the companies we recommend they are written as cases so it
gives the participants a clue of the sector.
The event: e
In the practical stations the first priority of the tasks are
presented by companies and second priority are brain
twisting tasks.
The practical tasks are presented from companies and it gives them a good
opportunity to meet each other. As the game is on a Saturday, it is not always
possibly to have company representatives in all task, but it is very popular when
asking the participants.
The persons who has represented companies have found it interesting to be part
of the game, it gave a good insight in what the participants were able to do, but
it also was enjoyable to feel the concentration!
How to find participants –
SoBaTo game
How to find participants
Three methods
The SoBaTo webgame
A way to keep in contact
How to find participants
Three methods have been used regarding finding participants
1. A test
2. “Acknowledgement” from schools
3. Signing up
- but foremost the young person must have interest for mathematics,
science and technology.
How to find participants - Test
I Gdansk, Poland a test were made to find participants.
This was made to choose few participants among many
qualified.
Is was also done to test if the use of English language would
be a problem
The result was:
The young people said it was fun!
Some of the “silent” kids in the class showed their skills.
Not the kind of questions they normally where tested in and
that was fun.
•
•
•
A resource consuming method unless the organizer all
ready are in contact with the target group.
Need working together with schools or another
organization example – summer camp organizers.
A web game could be good for test – it shall be easy to
handle
The test was a
written test
with few
questions like
the test in
SoBaTo
competition
How to find participants - “Acknowledgement” from schools
On Bornholm Denmark the participants were chosen among
those kids whom already in the ninth class (age 14) went to a
science team. All folksschools on Bornholm gave talented kids
in math, physic and science more focus and they joined a
science team (2013).
This method give the school and teachers a possibility to give
a pupil an acknowledgement . Still it was voluntary.
•
•
•
Like the test method, a resource consuming method but a
good way of working together with schools.
But it has to match with the planes of schools, so we
learned when science project were finished it was not that
easy to find participants.
Be careful not to highlight that the game is only for very
talented kids, it will make some withdrawal even though
they could do very well.
How to find participants – Signing up
In Schwerin, Germany participant could just sign up and
when all seats were taken the door closed. This meant that
the one who was most eager was the one to get the
chance to participate.
This method was used to get many young kids to show up
When the SoBaTo have been done though some years the
marketing of is easier
• The less resource consuming method
How to find participants – summing up
There will be no right way of choosing participant, but we recommend one of
the methods that are described above.
Arguments:
• The number of participants will influent how to do it. Typical the “home
country” have more participants then guest from each participating
country.
• If young people have to travel to another country there will be some extra
practical bullets that can influent on who and how to travel, till example it
takes the hole weekend and it can be a long trip due the transport
connections
• The point of SoBaTo it not to find the winner of winners between countries
BUT – what was learned during the pilot period was
– the more the organizers are in contact with the target
group the less resources consuming it is to find participants – so in the
project it has been discussed how to do that and also to keep in contact with
participants. One answer has been to build a web game.
The SoBaTo game - A way to keep in contact
The SobaTo web game is a game build on the same idea as the SoBaTo and a
part of the SoBaTo concept.
It shall have an element of learning and is developed from knowledge of what
skills is needed in the companies and what kind of game young people like.
After releasing the Sobato game we organized the international competition.
After each day we announced the bests from previous day and at the end of
3-day the winner of entire competition. Next competition was held on 1722.12, we invited pupils that participated in TechnOlimpics in Gdańsk and
other young people willing to play. Sobato webgame had 457 players. During
date, the number of 457 has taken part of the game. Every day the high
scores were announced on the SoBaTo face book.
An interesting learning was that some kids started to talk to each other about
the game and the idea of an active “winner club”.
2. statement
The SoBaTo concept is a individual
competition and a social and
networking event!
“The larger your social
network is, the better
are your resources”
Quote from a SoBaTo participant the 20. September 2014
Bornholm
The SoBaTo concept is a individual competition and a social and networking
event
The SobaTo is a competition and the participants are in competition mode
during the game. They know that in the end there will be one lucky winner to
win good prizes.
The point is to make the participant feel good and keep up the spirit during
the day, meeting new tasks and meeting new people. The mean event begins
at 9:00 for registration and ends 20:30 after nuancing the winners.
About prizes. First of all it is important that every body gets an diploma for
participating. And each are called up to get there own diploma. And prizes, of
cause the first, second and third prizes is important, but do have an extra
prizes ready for something exceptionally.
– Some one is always doing something extraordinary!
The SoBaTo concept is a individual competition and a social and networking
event
Number of participants.
To make the day work without many long breaks we requirement that no
more then 60 participants. Our requirements are 40 - 50.
This counted like 5 practical tasks for max. 6 persons at the time makes 30
participants meanwhile the other half 30 participants are doing the
knowledge test. At midday it is turned around, so the one who made
knowledge test in the morning are doing practical tasks in the afternoon.
SoBaTo is an international event. It means that a big part of it is networking.
And use the time between end of the game until
the results are ready.
The SoBaTo concept is a individual competition and a social and networking
event
We tested different social activities from bowling to touring the Island of
Bornholm. What we learned is that most important key to networking it is not
how glamorous an event is, but
1. The number of participant
2. The place where the SoBaTo event is held and the organization of it
3. The hostels for the guest participants
The SoBaTo concept is a individual competition and a social and networking
event
It was not the plan at all but on Bornholm we were unlucky that the date we
choose was up to or after at lot of school excursions and only few young
people were ready for a SoBaTo. Only 40 participants had signed up. But what
happen was that the talking and networking between the participants after
the game seems higher then before. Plus on Bornholm there is a hostel
connected to the incubator building were the event is held and that also
seemed to be good.
In Schwerin and Gdansk both SoBaTos were also held in incubator
environment and a physical evidence that the participant are connected with
companies rather still in school. Taken care of nice waiting rooms and cafés
with food, drinks and fruit. All important issues!
It is important that the organizer makes quit an effort to help
the groups finding their way from one task in the building to
another. Also every partner had made an effort showing the guest from other
countries a warm welcome!
let the adventure begin with SoBaTo
NEXT STEP!
Part-financed by the European Union
(European Regional Development Fund)
The SoBaTo concept and next step
There are many more activities to do, to get young people in the Baltic Sea
areas networking and also networking with companies.
The SoBaTo team focus on the technology sector and here some
requirements
• More countries to join SoBaTo
• More small and mediums size companies to get involved
• To make a think tank fore similar activities in the region - gathering ideas
and like in the SoBaTo case use a “star” or develop a tool to make many
different concepts were young people learn and network with companies
• Make a common platform for educational web games taken in ideas from
small and medium sizes companies and their need of future workforce,
also to used in schools.
• Develop an rote or tour of learning around countries in
Baltic Sea where young people meets companies and play with
technology. Develop a “technology bus” or “technology Baltic ship”– a
driving or sailing summer camp of learning.
By
Project partners:
• Maritime Development Center of Bornholm,
Denmark
• ATI erc gGmbH education, research and
furtherance of cooperations Schwerin/ Wismar,
Germany
• Gdansk Entrepreneurial Foundation, Poland
Contact us for further interest or information