Filling the gaps in Iraq

Filling the gaps in Iraq

By Ricardo Ruiz Comment Closed
We sat down to talk with Nawres Arif this past Thursday to discuss his maker program in Iraq. Nawres is a trained pharmacist but considers himself to be more than that. He is also an artist, designer, and robot maker. In around 2003, Nawres became a part of the global maker movement. His passion for making things and his hope to share his passion with others led him to found ScienceCamp in 2013. ScienceCamp became the first-ever maker space in Iraq. Nawres says that among many other goals, this maker space's main aim is to develop ways to “use science to make life better.”  Listen to the interview: Nawres told us that the traditional education model in Iraq does not allow students to explore their passions. Learning tends to be more theoretical than hands-on, “education needs to be more practical, interactive, and fun.” He found a solution to this problem in the maker movement. He tells us that the maker movement mixes...
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The Makerspace: A Global Miniature of Innovation

The Makerspace: A Global Miniature of Innovation

By Chaïma Attia Comment Closed
  Can technology promise to heal and reconstruct what previous technological revolutions have destroyed? Current technological advancements are no longer powered by steam, but what are they powered by? Amidst the wake of an AI revolution, how do we examine the medium before the message and avoid another retrospective into the impact of technologies on society? In the Makerspace at re:publica23, The Digital Doughnut Model workshop explores how technology sectors and the technologies we use can get us to thrive and not only to survive as humans without over-crossing the boundaries of the Planet.  What do people in Iraq - arguably one of the hottest spots on earth - do to mitigate climate change? The innovation for climate change session shows how they make water from thin air and utilize the blazing heat from the sun to help their society. As we pose all these questions, we can not but wonder, were the answers there all along in indigenous knowledge and traditional knowledge...
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Building an Inclusive Future: The Africa Makerspace Network

Building an Inclusive Future: The Africa Makerspace Network

By Ricardo Ruiz Comment Closed
In recent years, makerspaces have emerged as a powerful force for innovation and community building in cities worldwide. These shared workspaces provide access to tools, technology, and resources often out of reach for individuals and small organizations. They also serve as a hub for collaboration, experimentation, and skill-sharing. But while the benefits of makerspaces are clear, they are not equally accessible to everyone. In many parts of the world, makerspaces are concentrated in urban areas and are often dominated by privileged groups. This creates a significant barrier for individuals and communities who need more resources or connections to access these spaces. The Africa Makerspace Network (AMN) is working to change this. AMN is a network of makerspaces and innovation hubs across Africa committed to creating inclusive spaces for innovation, learning, and entrepreneurship. Their mission is to build a network of African makerspaces that are accessible and sustainable and connect them with the global maker movement. AMN was founded in 2019 by a...
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Announcing “GIG supports project Tolocar” to connect with Ukrainian makers.

Announcing “GIG supports project Tolocar” to connect with Ukrainian makers.

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
The HIWW Truck English version [Ukrainian Version below] When faced with challenges or adversity way beyond what a person can handle - one of the cultural responses in Ukraine is “Toloka”. Turning to the crowd for support. Providing solutions at the needed scale, and with ingenuity and insight beyond what an individual can muster. tolocar.org The Tolocar project was created to support makers in Ukraine in an extremely difficult situation. It provides Ukrainian makers with access to international maker communities and creates a sustainable exchange network between Ukrainian and international producers.  To support and strengthen Ukraine's industries, partners from around the world have come together to implement various projects on reconstruction and rehabilitation, open production, knowledge transfer and innovation. In the spring of 2022, the Tolocar project began sending converted workshop vans to Ukraine, which have the capabilities of a mobile makerspace or fablab on wheels. These open mobile production facilities are designed to support humanitarian activities in the country. the Cadus Supporter They provide high-tech manufacturing or...
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Learning with Head, Heart and Hand – A Plea for Maker Education

Learning with Head, Heart and Hand – A Plea for Maker Education

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
Global Innovation Gathering is proud to have Junge Tüfler*innen among our members. During workshops, they observe how children are fascinated by plants that make music, plasticine that glows because it can conduct electricity, or a talking poster. When they understand how these things are made, they quickly arrive at the point: "Maybe I can do that, too. I'll try that myself!" Doing things yourself to develop and experience your effectiveness is an essential part of maker education and, accordingly, at the heart of all learning formats. Through project- and problem-based learning, maker education strengthens key future competencies such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. A diagram shows the overlap of the 4K model (Communication Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking) with Digital Competencies (Reception, Reflection, Production). Maker spaces offer a near-limitless number of possibilities for exploration: also, digital skills can be taught here. Fascinating: the area for production, i.e. being able to design digital content and systems yourself. Illustration: Carlotta Klee. "Maker Spaces in der Schule: So...
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H-Fablab – Fuelling sustainable innovative solutions in Côte d’Ivoire;  starting with young makers

H-Fablab – Fuelling sustainable innovative solutions in Côte d’Ivoire;  starting with young makers

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
Dodji Honou conducting a practical training for kids at H-Fablab (all photos courtesy of H-Fablab) In the neighborhood of Bingerville about 45 minutes -1 hour from Abidjan, in the district of Angré,  stands H-FABLAB.  A digital manufacturing laboratory whose primary objective is to promote learning by doing among young people, whether or not in school, literate or not in French. The space was opened formally  in Sep 2021, but had been running informally for 2 years before that. They enjoy good internet access via a fiber connection, though electricity can be sometimes unstable Dodji Honou is  the founder of H-Fablab. His story begins in Togo, where he was born. And where his story with makerspaces  and innovation hubs began. He was a member of  Woelab now expanded into Hubcity in Togo, and in 2013 while there, his story with GIG also began. He met GIGers, Geraldine and Max , who introduced him to GIG.  He later moved on to Senegal to work with a...
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Please, Make things that Make sense!

Please, Make things that Make sense!

By Ricardo Ruiz Comment Closed
We are inviting makers & innovators globally to take part in the journey toward shaping a sustainable future of making.  Critical Making mentoring programme takes a deep dive into its principles:  Make Things That Make Sense: Create products and solutions that solve fundamental, real-world problems. Share How You Make: Develop guidelines that provide a framework for openly documenting everything about the project's making. Include Ecosystem Services: Aim to give back more than you take from the environment and include accounting practices that value natural resources. Integrate Local Knowledge: Build from within the community by working with local methods, materials and traditional resources. Build for Continuity: Design for the present and future; build social capacity, & aim for financial self-sufficiency.  Powering Inclusion and Openness. Critical Making adds scientific insights into the potential of the maker movement. Socially responsible making can show how global maker communities can offer new opportunities. Opportunities for young talents of all genders to contribute to an open society via open source innovation. You can learn more about...
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Building Innovation in Nepal: Impact Hub Kathmandu

Building Innovation in Nepal: Impact Hub Kathmandu

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
photo courtesy of Impact Hub Kathmandu Impact Hub Kathmandu is an open, inclusive and collaborative space designed to give social innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers somewhere to meet, work, network and learn. They provide a friendly open space that welcomes people from all across Kathmandu, and beyond! They are part of a global network of 105+ Impact Hubs in over 60 countries, working across disciplines, acting across sectors, with amazing people putting ideas into action.  Impact Hub KTM provides business support to Nepali entrepreneurs and businesses with a social purpose. They connect, inspire and support impact entrepreneurs to scale up their projects and enterprises to address some of Nepal’s challenges,  convening changemakers to convert their passion and commitments into meaningful projects. They also have FabLab Nepal, a digital fabrication laboratory to learn, play, create, mentor, invent, and innovate. They provide access to the environment, the skills, the materials, and the advanced technology to allow anyone to make (almost) anything. Since establishment, they have worked...
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A full week of mAkE encounters in Berlin

A full week of mAkE encounters in Berlin

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
by Kirstin Wiedow In early June Berlin was packed with activities related to the mAkE project. Partners gathered over a week to engage in the Berlin - Africa Network Day, attend re:publica, spend a weekend networking during the GIG community weekend and finally co-designing mAkE project activities during a two-days consortium meeting. Gertrude Goh fro Africa MakerSpace Network making a presentation at the mAkE consortium meeting in Berlin What is mAkE actually and who runs it? mAkE is an EC-funded project that promotes cooperation and strategic partnerships between digital innovation hubs (DIHs) in Africa and Europe. (Click here to visit the project website) We understand makerspaces as digital innovation hubs that drive digital, local manufacturing and innovation in product design and development, learning, skills building and collaboration beyond software. They are important actors in the local digital innovation ecosystems in both Europe and Africa. A core aim of the mAkE project is to strengthen an innovation and start-up ecosystem by creating the necessary infrastructure for...
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Makerspaces for sustainable development

Makerspaces for sustainable development

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
Mboa Lab's Critical Making efforts in Cameroon Cameroon's MboaLab is teaching useful critical making skills with the aim of promoting women's self worth, their ability to determine their own choices and the right to influence social change for themselves and others as well as to remove gender bias through critical making . MboaLab is an open and collaborative space located in mefou-Assi village in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The aim of MboaLab is to catalyse sustainable local development and improve people’s living conditions through open science. Their approach focuses on the integration of local knowledge by centering the local community especially women. On 5th - 7th March 2022, MboaLab brought together secondary school girls, women in academia, and women in rural areas for 3 days of discovery and learning. Discovery and fabrication On Day 1, was a day of discovery where the participants were introduced to MboaLab, and had a tour where they visited the different sections of the lab with explanations about...
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