Business Model Talk on Sustainability of Networks

Business Model Talk on Sustainability of Networks

This month's Business Models Talk will tackle the topic of the Sustainability of Networks. We have Felista Aku, Senior Partnership Manager at AfriLabs based in Nigeria, and Tom Hansing, Co-founder of the Network of Open Workshops in Germany. In this episode, we will discuss the challenges of maintaining the operations of a Network and showcasing different financial models through examples in Africa and Europe. We will touch on the value added by networks and examine ways digital communities can remain connected to survive.  Each month we host a community discussion focussed on a different aspect of how to make the maker ecosystem more financially sustainable. We invite you to join us and share your experiences, gain insights into how to grow your makerspace, and discuss different revenue streams and business models. ...
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Past, Present, Future: A Welcome Address by the Executive Board of the Global Innovation Gathering

Past, Present, Future: A Welcome Address by the Executive Board of the Global Innovation Gathering

By Ann Joshua Comment Closed
The History of Global Innovation Gathering  Ten years ago, Global Innovation Gathering was driven by different points of inspiration, leading it to what it is today. Physical spaces designed to facilitate local innovation emerged as a prominent and rapidly growing trend. As such, these spaces served as points of inspiration, allowing innovative minds to collaborate and work together on technological advancements. However, the vast number of worldwide individuals who remained unaware of one another and lacked the means to connect was a significant challenge. Emphasizing a "strength in numbers" mentality, the vision was to unite these creatives and diverse communities to achieve more significant goals and overall collective impact. The solution involved bringing together these innovators and diverse spaces from different parts of the world to a central location like re:publica, a festival for the digital society and the largest conference of its kind in Berlin, Europe. re:publica provided a global stage and an international audience, enabling innovators from all around the...
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Watch the Stream! GIG 10th anniversary

Watch the Stream! GIG 10th anniversary

By Ricardo Ruiz Comment Closed
Check the online transmission! GIG supports the work of its 155 members in 47 countries. GIG facilitates global exchange between innovators and innovation spaces, and implements various projects. As the world becomes more complex and fast-paced, so do the challenges, threatening the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Therefore, GIG enables cross-cultural connections and global knowledge exchanges, in order to support our members and their communities to develop solutions that best suit their local needs. We co-create and implement long-term projects that offer collaborative solutions to systemic problems in different localities.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgx5azRaagE ...
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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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GIG 10th Anniversary Weekend

GIG 10th Anniversary Weekend

Ten years ago, innovators and hub managers from across the world convened at re:publica for the first time at the Global Innovation Lounge. That became the first stepping stone in a story of global collaboration. Ten years later, GIG is an international NGO that has created a new, democratic and value based approach for international cooperation and technology creation.  Today, GIG supports the work of its 155 members in 47 countries. GIG facilitates global exchange between innovators and innovation spaces, and implements various projects. As the world becomes more complex and fast-paced, so do the challenges, threatening the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Therefore, GIG enables cross-cultural connections and global knowledge exchanges, in order to support our members and their communities to develop solutions that best suit their local needs. We co-create and implement long-term projects that offer collaborative solutions to systemic problems in different localities.  For our 10th Global Innovation Gathering, we will bring together more than 70 global members from...
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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:publica, The Digital Doughnut Modelworkshopwill explore how technology sectors and the technologies we use can get us to thrive and not only to survive as humans without overcrossing 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 sessionwill show us 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 structures? Incorporating Indigenous...
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Critical Making Mentorship Workshop: Ecosystem Services

Critical Making Mentorship Workshop: Ecosystem Services

Join us for the final mentoring workshop of the Critical Making mentorship program, which aims to support global makers and innovators in shaping a sustainable future of making. Over the course of nine months, mentees have received guidance and input from esteemed mentors in the fields of open science hardware, social innovation, and environmental sustainability. As we wrap up the 2022 mentorship program, we cordially invite you to our last mentoring workshop, where Aravinth Panch from Dreamspace Academy, Sri Lanka, will join us to discuss the topic of Ecosystem Services. Ecosystem services encompass the essential benefits that nature provides to sustain our lives on this planet, including forests, wetlands, rivers, oceans, and animals. For instance, trees supply us with oxygen to breathe and shade to keep us cool. During this interactive session, we will explore how we can play a role in safeguarding these essential benefits for our planet. We aim to deepen our understanding of the value that nature brings to human well-being,...
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Noni Hub: Equipping Youths to Prototype for Local Needs

Noni Hub: Equipping Youths to Prototype for Local Needs

By Melanie Chan Comment Closed
Equipping young people with technological and entrepreneurial skills to solve local community problems is the mandate of one particular makerspace in the Northern region of Ghana.  Noni Hub, located in Wa, is a budding innovation that aims to foster innovation, creativity, and making scalable technological solutions. Mustapha Dauda, an African Maker and Engineer in electronics and robotics, leads the maker space's activities. Welcoming individuals enthusiastic about bringing their ideas to life, the activities of the makerspace include a three-week training program encompassing sessions on design, ideation, prototyping, and constructing. Participants are taught the design thinking process to develop functional solutions and trained on relevant maker techniques such as 3D modelling and woodwork to prototype their solutions. Check the Interview with Mustapha Dauda below: For Mustapha, seeing people embrace the maker movement and bring new ideas is exciting. Recounting an experience where one participant in the program wanted to set up a bee farm but could not afford to buy a beehive, he...
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How to Unlock New Sources of Funds through KujaLink | Webinar

How to Unlock New Sources of Funds through KujaLink | Webinar

We will come together for an Introduction Webinar on How to Unlock New Sources of Funds through KujaLink. This is happening in light of GIG's new collaboration with KujaLink, and hopefully a lasting partnership. KujaLink is a platform aiming to connect Global South Organizations to Philanthropic Funders with a new vision of meaningful connection for direct and unrestricted funding. This webinar will be recorded, however, it would always be better to attend it live so you can ask your questions directly to Dawit, KujaLlink's Community Manager. ...
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FabLab Nepal: Empowering Communities Through Technological Access

FabLab Nepal: Empowering Communities Through Technological Access

By Melanie Chan Comment Closed
Technology has become an integral part of our lives in today's fast-paced world. Technology has transformed how we live and work, from smartphones to smart homes. However, not everyone has access to the latest technology or the skills to use it effectively. This is where organizations like FabLab Nepal come in. FabLab Nepal is a community-based digital fabrication laboratory that provides access to the latest technologies, such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC milling, to people from all walks of life. Their mission is to empower communities through technology by providing access to tools and resources to help them bring their ideas to life. In the following interview with Pradita Pradhan, the co-founder of FabLab Nepal, she shared her thoughts on the importance of technology access and critical technological education in today's world and how FabLab Nepal is helping communities in Nepal. "We believe that technology is a great equalizer, and everyone should have access to it," said Pradita. "We aim to...
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