Maker Faire Launches Education Initiative

Earlier last month at Maker Faire, a two-day celebration of all things DIY, the launch of The Maker Education Initiative was announced. This new program seeks to introduce ‘making’ to children everywhere – in schools, community centers, afterschool programs, summer camps, and science centers. The initiative, an extension of Maker Faire and its Young Makers Program, will broaden the reach of Maker Faire beyond California’s Bay Area. Says founder Dale Dougherty:

"We believe making provides rich, authentic learning experiences that are also fun. Such experiences promote creativity and develop problem solving skills while helping to establish a lifelong interest in science and technology. Becoming a maker can be life-changing for a child."

Here at thinktanK¹², we’ve written a lot about the importance of encouraging students’ interest in STEM fields. Engaging kids in STEM is vital, both for our children’s futures and that of our country, and is a key component of President Obama’s education plan. The Maker Education Initiative will seek to accomplish this by encouraging the DIY mindset in young people in both formal and informal learning environments.

“When children and teens make things, they are having fun but they are also engaged in learning. They are learning to realize their own creative ideas, to solve real problems and to overcome failure and frustration in the process. When they say proudly to others: “Look what I made!”, they’ve become a maker. There is growing recognition that hands-on learning experiences are critical to the development of young minds” – Dale Dougherty

For more information about The Maker Education Initiative, visit http://makered.org

Related Links

• thinktanK¹² blog: STEM
• Preparing Students For the Future: The Year of the DIY
• Preparing Kids for the Future: More Resources for Encouraging Kids to Make Things!