Serhiy Tokarev on DIY “Beehives”: how communities can launch STEM educational spaces
Tokarev Foundation, together with the savED Charitable Foundation, presented a free DIY guide for those who want to create modern STEM spaces for schoolchildren. The guidebook is intended for communities, businesses, and philanthropic organisations ready to develop technology education and launch practical educational initiatives locally.
The guide was presented on 16 April in Kyiv. Serhiy Tokarev, founder of Tokarev Foundation, impact investor, and technology entrepreneur, spoke about the initiative.
What the DIY guide is about
The guidebook is based on the experience of launching the DIY “Beehives” network — hands-on learning centres for teenagers. In these spaces, schoolchildren explore new technologies not only in theory but also through experiments, their own projects, and work with modern equipment.
The DIY “Beehives” format includes programming, robotic prototypes, 3D printing, laser engravers, and other tools used in technology education. This approach helps teenagers understand STEM fields more quickly and see how this knowledge can be applied in practice.
Where DIY “Beehives” are already operating
In Ukraine, the DIY “Beehives” network covers five communities in the Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. These are areas where offline education has been particularly affected by the war, while children’s access to extracurricular activities, equipped spaces, and practical STEM learning remains limited.
The pilot centre is located in the village of Tsarychanka. It was opened by Tokarev Foundation in partnership with savED. The centre has already been visited by 800 schoolchildren. According to a survey of participants, 96% of them acquired new skills, and more than half plan to use them in the future.
From a local case to educational infrastructure
Serhiy Tokarev notes that a single STEM centre can be a successful example, but it is not enough for systemic change. The DIY guide is designed to help scale the model and make it part of a broader educational infrastructure.
“One STEM space in the village of Tsarychanka is a case study. The DIY guide is an infrastructure that will help find a systemic solution to the shortage of skilled professionals in the country. Unfortunately, no single foundation, community, or ministry will be able to solve this challenge alone,” says Serhiy Tokarev.
According to savED, in 2025, fewer than half of teenagers in Ukraine regularly attended extracurricular activities. The reasons include a shortage of equipped spaces, a lack of qualified staff, and insufficient funding. Against this backdrop, the country’s economy may face an acute shortage of technical specialists over the next 10–15 years.
Why is this an investment in human capital
The organisers view DIY “Beehives” as a long-term investment in human capital. These spaces help schoolchildren from different regions gain access to modern technology education, while also helping the country prepare future engineers, researchers, and other qualified specialists.
“To achieve results, tech philanthropy, the state, business, and charitable foundations must work together. We have prepared a step-by-step guide on how to train teachers, equip a space, and provide teenagers with access to education,” adds the impact investor.
During the presentation, Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, emphasised that such spaces are one of the key conditions for training the professionals the country will need in the future.