BONEVET Tirana a Space Where Anyone Can Materialize the Dream

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are growing each day…so this are indicators that parents show genuine interest towards BONEVET and see it as an institution that was missing to the community.

How does Bonevet stimulate the entrepreneurial skills at the kids since at a tender age? In your view, what is the best way to raise entrepreneurial children?

The child’s mind is the most powerful learning machine that we are aware of.

Every child is born with natural talents and abilities. They have immense capacity for learning (great brain capacity), they possess independent learning skills (educative instinct), they love learning (natural curiosity), their brains grow as they struggle and make failures (growing intelligence).

BONEVET Tirana, a Space Where Anyone Can Materialize the Dream

But, recent studies have provided evidence that whatever the natural capacities, it is the environment and the culture in which children grow up in, that has a deep influence on how they develop.

By Rudina HOXHA

The vision of Alfred Nikolla for BONEVET Tirana, modelled according to BONEVET Prishtina, is very clear: to make BONEVET the epicenter of the development of the spirit of curiosity and entrepreneurship in town. “So in 3 years’ time we would like to see BONEVET Tirana as a business incubator and a maker space where anyone can engage to materialize their dreams into achievable results,” BONEVET’s CEO, Nikolla told FOLLOW BUSINESS ALBANIA in an exclusive interview.

He elaborated that BONEVET is a children-friendly environment designed to stimulate children’s curiosity, imagination and creativity, three main pillars that in my opinion are the healthy foundations of raising an entrepreneurial child.

From this perspective, this project creates the future ground for a more consolidated entrepreneurial

What is all about BONEVET and how did the idea for it come about? Why Bonevet is a novelty nowadays?

BONEVET (Albanian word for DO IT YOURSELF) is a non-profit and non-formal educational institution established in 2014 based in Prishtina. Kosovo. Since then more than 6

2’800 children and young people have attended classes and/or workshops at BONEVET in Gjakova and Prishtina. More than 70 makers have gained various technical and non-technical skills.

BONEVET has made an important positive impact within the community of Gjakova, and it continues to give hope to the community that was left to itself after the last conflict, because many educated and skilled people left home to look for jobs elsewhere. So, looking at this perspective that BONEVET created, we thought that the same mindset of doing things, needs and should be part of Tirana’s community.

So, let me tell you a few numbers that you can create your own idea why BONEVET Tirana is a novelty nowadays. We are counting only 2 seasons (4 months) of being active in Tirana with our modules(courses) and until now have mentored 96 children from the age of 7-10 years old in 5 different disciplines. Request for older children to be part of our courses December 2019

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BONEVET is a childrenfriendly environment designed to stimulate children’s curiosity, imagination and creativity, three main pillars that in my opinion are the healthy foundations of raising an entrepreneurial child.

Children here at BONEVET are encouraged to actively play, make their own games, work together with other children, program robots, make prototypes with 3D-printers and CNC’s, solve riddles and puzzles, design and make puppet theatre’s, understand the importance of values, develop their communication skills, read books and learn languages.

What are the challenges as well as the motivation of running such a learning environment?

Our project-based learning approach enables young people to gain teamworking and management skills, as well as self-confidence and perseverance during the design and realization of seemingly unachievable projects.

In year 2016, 6 teenage-makers, 3 girls and 3 boys, have managed to convert a fuel-engine-vehicle into an electric-vehicle, a flagship project, which generated large waves of motivation for all young children in Kosovo.

Now our main challenge in running such a learning environment is the expansion to more advanced courses for youngsters of age 16-21. In order to make this courses in place, we need advanced technological equipment such as 3D printers, CNC machines, high capacity PC’s. Until now one or two donors made a step forward in supporting us to extend the modules in older group age, but their support is still not enough.

What are the plans of Bonevet? Do you intend to expand in other cities?

Our one and only mission is to have a real solid impact in the community of Tirana, but not limited to. As we are somehow struggling in the first steps of this mission, our vision is very clear, make BONEVET the epicenter of the development of the spirit of curiosity and entrepreneurship in town.

So in 3 years’ time we would like to see BONEVET Tirana as a business incubator and a maker space where anyone can engage to materialize their dreams into achievable results.

We do actually intend to expand in other cities as well, but we’ll leave this as a surprise for the begging of the next year….

- Do you have a message for the parents of the kids who opt for entrepreneurial spirit?

Myself, I am a father of two wonderful daughters which is looking forward for them to fill the minimum age requirement of 7 years old. Let me tell to all parents out there, our wonderful children, are capable of illuminating their future and we should take pride in this invaluable energy and skills potential, and support them with greater responsibility. It gives us reason for more optimism, more confidence and with some more personal engagement of every citizen of Albania, we stand a good chance to build a country with a brighter social economic future

December 2019

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