Renáta explains that connecting formal and informal education is the mission of OZ Cesty k podnikaniu. “Schools provide basic knowledge and systematically evaluate students with tests and grades. Informal education responds flexibly, connects knowledge with real life, and fosters intrinsic motivation. When these two worlds cooperate, young people are not just bearers of knowledge, but can also apply it practically,” says Renáta.
Obedient or Independent?
Slovak education still lags behind the needs of the present and the future. Teaching often focuses on correct answers, where a mistake means punishment. “Children learn that it’s safer to be obedient than curious,” explains Renáta.
Independently thinking minds emerge in an environment where there is safety, trust, and freedom, where mistakes are allowed, and students can ask questions. Today, such an environment mainly depends on individual teachers – it’s more of an exception than a rule.
Teacher Creativity: Luxury or Necessity?
The teaching profession should be based on trust and autonomy, but the system often overwhelms teachers with reports and controls.
“A teacher becomes an executor of instructions, not a creator of education. Creativity turns into a risk, and intrinsic motivation weakens. Engaged teachers either burn out or leave the education system,” states Renáta.
Mentoring and personal support for teachers are therefore crucial – and for now, these paths are only for the bravest.
“The future of education is built on cooperation, trust, and inclusion – an environment where both students and teachers can grow together,” says Renáta.
Entrepreneurship in Schools: More Than a Curriculum Item
Entrepreneurship is part of school curricula, but often remains just theory. “Entrepreneurial competencies cannot be learned by memorization; they arise through experience – problem-solving, projects, error simulation, and feedback. If skills like initiative, cooperation, or creativity are not developed across subjects, entrepreneurship is reduced to just another piece of content to be checked off, ” points out Renáta.
Positively, some schools are already incorporating experiential and project-based learning, but for now, this is more a result of teachers’ personal enthusiasm than systematic support.
Resilience is Learned Through Experience
In February, Renátka and her team are organizing Weekend with Baťa focused on building resilience. Many might ask – can resilience be learned in a weekend? In reality, it’s not about young people immediately “passing the test of life,” but about showing them that when they don’t succeed at something, they are not bad or failing – they are completely normal.
“The event offers Generation Z an opportunity to experience activities tailored to their needs. Young people learn to consciously process stress, react flexibly to a rapidly changing world, and recognize and express their emotions. Resilience is trained here through play – not via a computer, but through real-life situations that mimic life’s challenges,” states Renáta.
They will discover firsthand why conflicts arise and how to overcome them with perspective instead of giving up. The game will allow them to experience safe failure, train perseverance and flexibility, cooperate, regulate emotions, and gain a sense of competence and control.
As a result, their psychological resilience increases so naturally that they often don’t even realize it. One of the game forms will also be an “Escape room,” which develops several life competencies simultaneously.
The program will also include a reflection on Baťa’s principles of perseverance. Although Baťa did not leave many direct words about resilience, his statements clearly show his approach to life and overcoming obstacles: “Don’t say it can’t be done; rather say you don’t know how yet.”
Workshops will be led by experts from practice who know how to transform theory into experience and the real development of young people.
Summer Camps: Discovering Talents and Practical Skills
In addition, they are preparing for the summer two summer camps – one for children aged 7–13 and another for teenagers and young adults aged 14 to 25. Many might object: won’t the younger ones be too young to know what they want, and won’t the older ones already have distorted ideas about entrepreneurship from school?
“We are not worried. The camps are not primarily about one’s own profession, but about discovering talents and developing skills,” explains Renáta.
For the younger ones, we run a five-day Young Entrepreneurs’ Camp, where children discover their talents, train creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication. Through workshops, they learn to solve problems, create a business model, and implement it from idea to prototype. It also includes practical exercises in finance, marketing, and selling their own product.
The camp for older participants builds on experiential workshops led by experts from practice and the business environment. We select topics according to participants’ preferences, always with an emphasis on discovering their own path and talents (e.g., through the Gallup questionnaire) and developing strengths and skills necessary for a successful and fulfilling life in the 21st century. A strong component is the comprehensive development of young people – psychological, emotional, intellectual, and physical.
The camps are complemented by excursions to innovative companies and discussions with entrepreneurs, which show young people that learning, experience, and creativity go hand in hand with the real world.
Conference: The Future of Education is in Cooperation
Last year, you also organized a conference on the future of education, which strengthened cooperation among teachers, students, parents, and external partners. “The future of education is built on cooperation, trust, and inclusion – an environment where both students and teachers can grow together,” says Renáta.
The year 2026 will bring a continuation with the theme “Humanity and Technology in the School Environment”. The conference will focus on the teacher as a guide, teacher wellbeing, the characteristics of Generations Z and Alpha, AI in schools, and digital balance.
The goal is to learn to remain human in a technological world and not lose values and relationships.
Education that Prepares for Life
According to Renáta, education is not just about curriculum. The combination of formal and informal education, experiential methods, and teacher mentoring creates an environment where young people not only acquire knowledge but also learn to apply it in life.
They develop comprehensively – psychologically, emotionally, intellectually, and physically – and are prepared for a world that is constantly in motion.
TEXT: Natália Stašíková
PHOTO: archive of Cesty k podnikaniu
