Are you a Maker? Join Bermuda’s Maker Movement!
The Maker Movement is an overarching term that includes independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. It is a global campaign that includes anyone who makes things: technology enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, engineers, science clubs, authors, and artists. Makers combine self-reliance with open-source learning, contemporary design and personal technology like 3-D printers.
Makers in the United States communicate through the Make magazine. Globally, makers host hands-on Maker Faires that appeal to do-it-yourselfers, turning them from consumers to creators and “bringing techies and non-techies alike into the world of being creators.” Says Tim Bajarin, leading industry consultant and analyst in the field of personal computers and consumer technology. “As someone who has seen firsthand what can happen if the right tools, inspiration and opportunity are available to people, I see the Maker Movement and these types of Maker Faires as being important for fostering innovation.”
The Maker Faires being held worldwide, and now for the first time in Bermuda, aim to “be forward-looking, showcasing makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies.” But again, these Faires are for the techies and non-techies alike: the Maker Faires show off “innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft.”
In Bermuda, what has been known locally as “Bermy Makers” infuses the Maker Movement with a technology focus. One of the short term objectives of the Bermy Makers is to identify and outfit a Maker Space which would facilitate the many needs of the Maker community including workshops, meeting rooms and space where various demonstrations might be held.
Recently, Bermy Makers joined efforts with the Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Department of ICT Policy and Innovation and held Bermuda’s very first Youth Maker Faire on April 21 and 22.
During the Faire, which focused on Bermuda’s youth, the innovative and creatively-minded people of Bermuda had the opportunity to shine on the local stage. Participants included individual makers, members of after-school clubs and other youth programmes.
The Faire aimed to showcase the Island’s youth makers and was designed to attract parents looking for the latest in do-it-yourself learning opportunities for their children. It also encouraged youth to participate in Maker activities, and created an arena for the gathering of Bermuda Makers.
Are you a Maker? Do you enjoy tinkering with technology, taking things apart, building your own kite, or making your own loquat jam? You too can join Bermuda’s Maker Movement!
Go on www.youthmakerfaire.com and sign up to get updates and register to take part in our next Youth Maker Faire. You can also request to join the Bermy Makers Group on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/405291606346506/?ref=bookmarks
