Written by We are excited to launch the Critical Making Mentoring Programme coming up this spring. Here is a sneak peak of what is to be expected!
The Mentoring Programme will take place during 2022, requiring only a few hours of active participation per month. Further details will be announced soon!
Do you want to stay updated on the mentoring programme? Register your email now to get a special notification when the programme opens for application in April!
Update: The mentoring programme is open until the 31st of May. Click here for more details and to apply
About Critical Making:
Critical Making is a partnership to encourage responsible research & innovation to foster open access, inclusiveness and positive change across the global maker community.
Together, we add scientific insights into the potential of the maker movement, and set up activities that focus on critical and socially responsible making. We aim to show how these communities can offer new opportunities for young makers of all genders to contribute to an open society via open source innovation.
Partners: ZSI, Global Innovation Gathering, VTT, TU Berlin, Wikifactory
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101006285.
What is the Critical Making Mentoring Programme about?
In the Critical Making Mentoring Programme, we encourage innovation which at its core is open, local and connected, socially responsible, reflexive, impactful, meaningful, aesthetic – above all, fun! The programme will be open for people working in three different areas of innovation:
- Open Science Hardware that could potentially revolutionize human lives in a reproducible way.
- Social Innovations that ultimately aim to improve the welfare and well-being of individuals and their communities.
- Environmental Sustainability solutions that explore prototypes in conservation, energy & climate change and food & agriculture.
The mentoring workshops are designed around five distinct themes, each of which increases understanding of different questions around sustainability and openness. The themes are:
- Make things that make sense.
- Share how you make.
- Include ecosystem services.
- Integrate local knowledge.
- Build for continuity.
Each of these themes will have a different mentor with expertise on the topic, and you will get to hear their talks and have discussions with them.
In the programme you will:
- receive group mentoring from experts in the field;
- obtain the tools to demonstrate and improve the “critical” impact of your project;
- improve your team’s ability to receive future funding;
- scale up of your work to help many people;
- get the opportunity to work with other makers from a global network, sharing and making together!
- of course: get a certificate for participation 🤓
You should apply if you are…
- associated with a makerspace or an active maker group;
- maintaining, making, manufacturing or repairing something;
- willing to demonstrate your impact to the world;
- wanting to openly share and showcase your project or are already an – experienced Open Hardware maker that want to be more critical and sustainable about your projects;
- engaged in gender equity in technologies;
… and if you want:
- visibility and networking for your project;
- funding for materials to create and document your prototypes
to make your design globally accessible and translate to local contexts; - to make the next steps to scale or reach market viability;
- to upgrade your skills to combat social and environmental issue surrounding you;
- to resolve some tensions between sustainability and market acceptance;
- to improve your project overall with mentor support;
- open up the scope of your makerspace or hackerspace;
Follow Critical Making on Twitter as we announce more details of the programme & mentors in the upcoming weeks.
Leave us your email address to be contacted once the programme is open for applications. Register here.
