A free tech hub for young minds: robotics, coding, and digital books to train tomorrow's Polish pioneers in technical disciplines.

At a time when digital skills are shaping the future of the new generations' careers, Warsaw is taking a decisive step. In February 2025, Amazon opened the Polish capital's first STEM Kindloteka, a cutting-edge center for children and adolescents, introducing them to science, technology, and digital reading.

Located in the Synergia Social Innovation Lab in Praga Północ, this facility is the 106th Kindloteka in Poland, but the first with a specific focus on robotics, programming, and virtual reality.

The initiative, carried out in collaboration with the Digital Coaction Association, is part of a larger project launched in 2019 that has already involved half a million young people across the country.

“The opening of this Kindloteka in Warsaw is a fundamental part of our educational mission,”

said Mariusz Mielczarek, Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe at Amazon.

“We want to inspire future technology leaders by offering concrete tools for innovation.”

From Lego to robots: learning through play

Inside the center, young explorers have access to Kindles, educational robots, Micro:bit programming kits, and even 3D printers. Activities range from building circuits with Makey Makey to designing simple algorithms, to physics and mathematics experiments in virtual reality.

“It's not just a question of tools, but of approach,”

explains Iwona Brzózka-Złotnicka, president of Digital Coaction.

“Here, children learn by solving problems, collaborating, and above all, having fun. It's the best way to get them interested in STEM.”

The workshops, which are completely free, are led by qualified teachers, librarians, and Amazon volunteers, following a teaching model that has already been successfully tested in other Polish cities.

The challenge: reducing the digital divide

The inauguration, attended by Deputy Mayor Jacek Wiśnicki, emphasized the importance of inclusive initiatives.

“In an increasingly technological Europe, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind,”

Wiśnicki said.

According to OECD data, Poland is among the countries with the fastest growth in youth digital skills, but disparities persist between urban and rural areas. Warsaw's Kindloteka aims to bridge this gap by offering courses to schools in the suburbs and low-income families.

“From next month we will also open registrations to individual participants,”

anticipates Magdalena Kaszyńska, deputy director of the Synergia center.

“The goal is to democratize access to innovation.”

Amazon and its commitment to education

Warsaw's experiment is not an isolated one. Amazon, through its Kindloteka program, has invested over €20 million in Eastern Europe since 2020, creating a network of educational centers in partnership with governments and NGOs.

“STEM education is the key to a competitive economy,”

adds Mielczarek.

“And the results are visible: in Poland, 40 percent of the kids who attended our activities said they wanted to pursue scientific careers.”

It's a model that could soon expand. Internal sources reveal negotiations to bring the Kindloteka STEM format to Romania and the Czech Republic as early as 2026.

The future is already here and it speaks Polish

As the first groups of students explore the new space, one thing is clear: initiatives like this don't just train technicians, but aware citizens.

As Brzózka-Złotnicka recalls:

“Technology is a very powerful tool, but a shared ethic is needed to use it well.”

With registrations now open, Warsaw is preparing to write a new chapter in its digital transformation. And who knows, perhaps among these children there might be the next Marek Hołyński, Polish pioneer of artificial intelligence.

STEM Kindloteka at the Synergia Social Innovation Lab in Warsaw

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