Hackathon united Baltic VET students for green change
From April 2 to 4, the Latvian capital hosted the International Hackathon: VET Students as Agents of Change, a dynamic and collaborative event that brought together 47 vocational education and training (VET) students from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to tackle pressing sustainability challenges facing the Baltic region.
The three-day event focused on building cross-border cooperation, promoting sustainability, innovation, and empowering young minds to drive meaningful change. Participants were mixed into 11 teams comprising students from different countries, ensuring a true test of teamwork, creativity, and intercultural collaboration.
The hackathon featured two main challenges:
1) Attracting Youth to Green Industries
Sponsored by Schwenk, this challenge invited students to develop strategies and solutions that could motivate young people to pursue education and careers in environmentally friendly industries.
2) Protecting Against Climate Risks in the Baltics
Sponsored by insurance company BTA, teams were asked to create innovative tools or practical solutions to raise awareness and help people in the region protect themselves and their communities from the escalating impacts of climate change.
Over the course of the event, students worked intensively to develop their ideas, build prototypes, and prepare pitches for a panel of judges. The results were a showcase of ingenuity and passion for sustainability.
Top honors went to:
- 1st Place: Team Zephyr
Meribel Piits (Estonia), Karlote Undrits (Estonia), Berit Viigipuu (Estonia), Edvardas Sakalinskas (Lithuania)
Their solution impressed the jury with a creative and actionable plan for inspiring youth engagement in green careers.
- 2nd Place: Team Mist
Joana Gerda Gatovska (Lithuania), Alise Mizga (Latvia), Arina Mironova (Latvia)
This team developed a plan of Camp awareness to bring young people together and teach practical survival skills to understand climate risks.
- 3rd Place: Team Green Guardians
Liepa Liubeckaitė (Lithuania), Karina Jankovskaja (Lithuania), Marleen Matto (Estonia), Oskars Engelss (Latvia), Gusts Vītiņš (Latvia)
They developed a platform to connect farmers and communities and to promote local eco-products.
The hackathon not only yielded innovative ideas but also fostered understanding of climate change, sustainability in the Baltics. Organisers highlighted the students’ creativity, good communication and teamwork as well as commitment to develop solutions for a more sustainable future.
The hackathon was a part of the Erasmus+ project Baltic Green Leadership: VET Students as Agents of Change. Thanks to the main organiser Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the great experience.