You might think of mid-June as the beginning of Summer vacation, a time to relax and unwind, but things are about to get busy.
June 12th - 18th is the Week of Making, an opportunity to for individuals in communities throughout the U.S. and around the world to participate in Making activities locally, celebrating the innovation, ingenuity and creativity of Makers. Makers are developing new solutions and products to pressing challenges, engaging students in hands on, interactive learning of STEM, arts and design and enabling individuals to learn new skills in design, fabrication and manufacturing.
Inspired by last year's White House Maker Faire, the Week of Making includes events around the country including the first National Maker Faire, which will bring inventors, tinkerers, and makers of all ages to the Nation’s capital. If you're not in DC, there are still lots of ways for regional associations and their members to get their communities involved:
- Individuals can volunteer to mentor and share their skills by hosting workshops or classes in areas of their community that have fewer opportunities for designing, developing, and prototyping projects.
- K-12 school districts can create opportunities for interactive, hands-on STEM learning in and outside of the classroom. Schools can also establish maker spaces to empower students to design and build, and solve real-world problems.
- Colleges and universities can establish on-campus spaces that are accessible to students, faculty and the broader local community to tinker, design, build, and invent. They can share best practices with other educational institutions through networks and communities of practice.
- Companies can encourage making in their community through design and engineering and help designers, inventors, and other aspiring entrepreneurs create American jobs by navigating the transition from prototyping to manufacturing.
- Mayors can join the Mayors Maker Challenge and encourage companies, foundations, non-profits, schools, libraries, and museums to get involved with product development and manufacturing. Local leaders can also back initiatives that make it easier for entrepreneurs to manufacture their products locally.
To learn more, visit www.weekofmaking.org.