“Innovation was celebrated in many ways as close to 200 youngsters and interested parents got a fantastic view of the scores of programmes that encourage Bermuda’s young people to embrace innovation and harness their imagination and creativity,” Minister of National Security Wayne Caines said.
“It all happened during the Youth Maker Showcase which was held at the gymnasium at CedarBridge Academy in conjunction with the first-ever Parent Expo,” the Minister told the House of Assembly.
“What one saw in the room was the latest in innovative tools and education coming together to offer alternative methods for learning not only to benefit Bermuda, but to benefit mankind. It is always gratifying to see when we as a country get things right. These activities are something that every person in this country can be proud of.
“My hat goes off to the team at the Department of ICT Policy and Innovation along with the Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative for organizing this showcase.”
The Minister’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, on Saturday January 20th, innovation was celebrated in many ways as close to 200 youngsters and interested parents got a fantastic view of the scores of programmes that encourage Bermuda’s young people to embrace innovation and harness their imagination and creativity.
It all happened during the Youth Maker Showcase which was held at the gymnasium at Cedarbridge Academy in conjunction with the first-ever Parent Expo.
Mr. Speaker, what is a Maker? Makers are people who create, build, design, tinker, modify, hack, invent, or simply make something. Through their work building and inventing, they make things that have the power to change the world. A 2005 quote from Steve Jobs at the Stanford Commencement embodies the spirit of the Maker Movement:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Mr. Speaker, the 25 schools and community organizations which turned out to demonstrate their hands-on activities at this gathering of Maker-like programmes included the Department of Education’s STEAM Academy, the FIRST Global Robotics Team Bermuda, CONNECTECH, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, the Saltus Computer Science Department, and the Bermuda High School’s Do-It-Yourself Club.
Together, they formed an impressive mix of the work of schools, government entities and community organizations whose only aim that day was to provide parents and students with an opportunity to be introduced to the latest in Do-It-Yourself learning opportunities that expose the youth to creative learning while building character.
Mr. Speaker, what one saw in the room was the latest in innovative tools and education coming together to offer alternative methods for learning not only to benefit Bermuda, but to benefit mankind. It is always gratifying to see when we as a country get things right. These activities are something that every person in this country can be proud of.
My hat goes off to the team at the Department of ICT Policy and Innovation along with the Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative for organizing this showcase. They both wish to continue the momentum created by this event by offering an official Maker Faire later in the year – and I look forward to attending what promises to be a great activity in the not too distant future.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
