MISLIŠTE Marin Trošelj

Guest Marin TrošeljHosted by Sandro KraljevićMay 3, 2026

Marin Trošelj

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Marin Trošelj believes that the real purpose of education isn't to fill children with facts, but to help them discover their own purpose and passion. He experienced this firsthand as a university student who felt adrift until a science camp in Višnjan illuminated his path. Now, as co-founder of STEMI, he aims to bring that same spark of self-discovery to students globally, focusing on project-based learning in STEM fields. His work addresses a growing tension: as technology advances, it ironically makes it harder for young people to discern truth and navigate social pressures. This conversation explores how STEMI helps students not just with coding and robotics, but also with crucial life skills like communication, teamwork, and mental wellbeing. Readers will come away considering how education must adapt to prepare children not just for future jobs, but for future selves.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Višnjan's science camps consistently received 200 applications for only 30 available spots, revealing a profound unmet demand for project-based learning. That bottleneck, rather than a market study, was the signal to Marin Trošelj that the experience needed to be scaled into a global platform.

At the Višnjan camps, children would work on projects like detecting brain communication or colonizing Mars until 2 AM, needing to be forced to sleep. This taught Trošelj that the goal of education isn't to measure what students have learned, but to spark their intrinsic passion for discovery.

Marin Trošelj describes arriving at Višnjan as a university student "who didn't know what to do with himself in life," and it was there he found his sense of purpose. Schools, he argues, should primarily help children discover who they are and find their unique contribution, rather than just delivering information.

Technology, especially social media and AI, is making it increasingly difficult for children to distinguish reality from fabrication and navigate intense social pressures. This means preparing students for the future now requires teaching self-care, effective communication, and teamwork, not just coding or robotics.

STEMI's "School of the Future" project integrates wellbeing content into Croatian schools by collaborating with diverse partners, from a shopping center (Arena Center) to university psychologists (including some from Harvard). Real-world educational reform often comes from unusual cross-sector partnerships, not just traditional educational institutions.

To teach children about the critical importance of sleep, STEMI partnered with a Harvard expert, then adapted that specialized knowledge into engaging, interactive content specifically for elementary and high school students. The effectiveness of educational material depends less on the source's expertise and more on its careful tailoring and interactivity for the target audience.

STEMI is now moving beyond formal school settings, launching content that allows parents to create accounts and guide their children through wellbeing topics at home. The most impactful educational models eventually extend their reach beyond institutions to empower families directly.

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