On the border city of Narva, Estonia – where Europe literally meets its edge – a bold experiment is reshaping how young people grow. DOTS isn’t another youth program or after-school club. It’s an operating system for life: a commitment-based “gym for personal development” where members train through real responsibilities, ship real projects, and connect their skills, mentors, and partners into a visible path forward.
“Our aim is simple,” says founder Kirill Kašlev. “We want to restore the vibe of adventure and responsibility to growing up – and make it work even for those who feel like they don’t fit the system.”
From Voluntify to DOTS
DOTS began with Voluntify, a teen-run volunteering engine that treated responsibility as something to practice, not wait for. The lesson was clear: with structure and real permission to explore, young people self-organize, stay accountable, and deliver results adults rarely expect.
That insight evolved into DOTS – a platform designed to replicate this anywhere: schools, communities, or entire cities. The organization is led by two complementary founders, one a systems architect focused on scale, the other a connector driving people and partnerships. Around them, a growing network of schools, NGOs, companies, and universities forms the“power grid” youth plug into.
Innovation as a Social Algorithm
DOTS redefines innovation. It’s not a demo day or a single app, but what Kašlev calls “a durable social algorithm” – a repeatable way to turn uncertainty into growth at scale.
Instead of lectures, members commit to projects. Instead of worksheets, they build opportunity maps where challenges, mentors, and micro-roles compound into visible progress. And instead of being sheltered from failure, they are encouraged to “fail safely” so they can learn, adapt, and ultimately ship real outcomes.
“Gym, not class,” says Kirill. “That’s our innovation. The world itself gives the feedback.”
Proof in Action: MOST
The flagship proof is MOST, a civic-tech project born in 2025. DOTS members saw families waiting up to 12 hours at the Narva–Ivangorod border, exposed to rain and cold. Instead of complaining, a teen-led team built a humane solution: a digital queue and waiting-flow system.
They mapped user journeys, prototyped ticketing and calm holding areas, and aligned with authorities to reduce disorder. The result – up to 2,000 people a day now move with dignity.
“When the city saw teenagers creating civic solutions, it proved our thesis,” says Kašlev. “Unpredictable teens become reliable innovators when you give them the right platform.”
A Growing Portfolio of Impact
Powered by the DOTS platform, a growing portfolio of youth-led projects carries real-world stakes, with MOST and BeeBox emerging as scalable revenue engines:
- Volunteezy: a teen-run volunteering platform with legal standing and real outputs.
- ArtInspire Estonia: reframing NGO logic by touching 100+ projects and engaging in 300+ initiatives.
- BeeBox: a B2B2B reusable packaging network targeting 15,420 kg of CO2 reduction per year, with 25 reuse cycles and up to 85% waste reduction.
- Photodoxall and Artodoxall: creative guilds where 20+ active members collaborate, build portfolios, and mentor newcomers across Europe.
These are not “school projects” but tangible contributions rippling into civic life, the economy, and creative industries.
Early Recognition and Momentum
More than 50 youth, including those considered “hard to place,” have built tailored pathways through DOTS. Our partnership ecosystem of 15+ schools, companies, and NGOs creates concrete routes for members. It’s validated by reach into accelerators and institutions like Estonian Business School and Startup Wise Guys, which have accepted DOTS-trained talent – a testament to real-world readiness.
One alum was named Estonia’s Volunteer of the Year. When DOTS youth co-organized Banana Conf Global 2025 – with no external funding – the logistics ran so smoothly that seasoned professionals took notice.
Building the Flywheel
The tipping point came when DOTS stopped being a program and started operating as an ecosystem with a backbone. Clear rituals, visible roles, and lightweight governance let partners plug in as equal nodes. The system now delivers momentum, not slogans.
“Momentum is the real magic,” says Kirill. “When progress compounds, everyone – youth, adults, and cities – wants to stay in the game.”
Looking Ahead
The next 12 months are about execution and scale.
- Launch & Scale Revenue Engines:
– Deploy the MOST civic-tech MVP at the Narva border, achieving >30% shorter wait times and high user satisfaction.
– Onboard three anchor brand partners for BeeBox, validating its reusable packaging network and unit economics. - Systematize the Core:
– Launch DOTS Membership 1.0 with tiers and paid roles, turning the “gym” into a sustainable talent pipeline.
– Activate the Narva Campus as an “Open Campus” hub for production, partner onboarding, and pilot showcases. - Build to Replicate:
– Expand the network from 15+ to 50 nodes to fuel demand for DOTS’ engines and talent.
– Launch impact dashboards and the first Baltic replication kit, making the model transparent and portable.
This growth will be powered by a dual-engine model – scaling MOST’s civic-tech solution and launching BeeBox’s packaging network – fueled by the DOTS Membership v1 ecosystem.
The five-year vision is to weave DOTS into schools and communities as a living platform. Youth will see their personal evolution mapped in real time, cities will retain talent rather than lose it, and the culture of doing will outpace the culture of talking.
The Invitation
What excites the DOTS team most isn’t the numbers but the moments: a parent saying, “I feel safer now.” A skeptical adult asking why their own organization doesn’t work this way. A teenager once written off becoming the person others rely on.
The invitation is open: civic-tech capital to scale MOST; brand and logistics partners to co-launch the first BeeBox production run; and ecosystem sponsors to underwrite membership tiers and paid roles.
“If you bring the mission, we’ll bring the momentum,” Kirill says. “And we’ll prove – again – that young people can carry systems.”
