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...
Read More
Sailing on Knowledge Waves

Sailing on Knowledge Waves

By Ricardo Ruiz Comment Closed
In 2014, Nave à Vela - a start-up co-founded by GIG member Miguel Chaves in Brazil - has the purpose of, in partnership with schools, building a more meaningful education, promoting increasingly innovative teaching, and respecting the particularities and reality of each school. The mission is to transform schools into places where students' creativity and curiosity awake. They develop activities encouraging them to build knowledge through practices, projects and even life purposes. The Curricular Base for Innovation Culture: a methodology fostering student's development. Nave à Vela (NAV) respects the needs of each school and its particularities. For this reason, it developed an adaptable methodology to fit each school's needs: the Curricular Base for a Culture of Innovation. Designed for kindergarten, elementary school and high school students, it promotes maker learning, in which the student learns by building toys and prototypes and authoring projects. In this process, he starts to have a more exploratory relationship with knowledge and, thus, develops his autonomy. By becoming...
Read More
MEET THE MEMBERS meets its Counterpart in Germany

MEET THE MEMBERS meets its Counterpart in Germany

Next MEET THE MEMBERS is planned as usual on the last of Wednesday of the month - November 30th at 14:00 CET. This next one, we will have special guests that are not members per se. Our MEET THE MEMBERS will be combined with its parallel in Germany 'MEET AND CHAT'  , the monthly gathering of makers from Offene WerkStätten (Open Workshops). Open Workshops Germany is an offspring network of our newly joined Supporting Member, Anstiftung who will be there to introduce themselves as well. We want to connect GIGer maker spaces to maker spaces in Germany and explore possibilities together; whether you are a maker space or not, I would say this  ONE is not to be missed! Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) is a vibrant, diverse community of innovation hubs, makerspaces, hackerspaces and other grassroots innovation community spaces alongside individual innovators, makers, technologists and changemaker. MEET THE MEMBERS (MTM) is an online community event that takes place on the last Wednesday of each...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Maker Faire Cairo 2022

Maker Faire Cairo 2022

Maker Faire Cairo is back offline! Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and love sharing what they can do. Maker Faire is a venue for these "makers" to show hobbies, experiments, and projects, from engineers to artists to scientists to crafters. It is called the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth - a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. Join the event as a maker through their call for makers: cairo.makerfaire.com/call-for-makers/ Stay tuned for more details about the programme and location of the event! Meanwhile, find more information, including videos of previous Makerfaires here ...
Read More
CRITICAL MAKING mentoring kick-off & workshop on “Make Things That Make Sense” with Saad Chinoy

CRITICAL MAKING mentoring kick-off & workshop on “Make Things That Make Sense” with Saad Chinoy

How can you advance your product innovation based on openness and critical thinking? We are inviting makers & innovators globally to take part in the journey towards shaping a sustainable future of making. During the last months we have co-designed, conceptualized, invited, wrote, spoke, managed, ... with and for you all a Critical Making mentoring programme to take a deep dive into the principles that informed the creating of this project: Make Things That Make Sense: Create products and solutions that solve fundamental, real-world problems.Share How You Make: Develop a set of guidelines that provide a framework for openly documenting everything about the making of the project.Include Ecosystem Services: Aim to give back more than you take from the environment and include accounting practices that value the natural resources used.Integrate Local Knowledge: Build from within the community by working with local practices, materials and traditional resources.Build for Continuity: Design for the present and future; build social capacity, & aim for financial self sufficiency. We...
Read More
MAKER FAIRE ROME 2022, 10th Edition

MAKER FAIRE ROME 2022, 10th Edition

CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF INNOVATION WITH MAKER FAIRE ROME! Ten years of innovations and ideas that have turned into concrete projects, of inventions that have improved and revolutionised entire sectors of our society, achieving things that seemed remote and even unattainable a few years ago. Ten editions that have brought together people, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and skills from all over the globe, which have built ever stronger and unbreakable bonds through a universal language: that of innovation! #MFR2022 will be held as a true “special edition” preceded and followed by a series of events and initiatives – including digital ones – that are not limited to the three days of the Exhibition. From 7th to 9th October, in the highly evocative location of the Gazometro Ostiense area, you can come back to browse through the stands, discover, innovate and create together with the makers and partners. The exhibition spaces will include post-industrial buildings, the area’s heritage, as well as purpose-built marquees and many outdoor spaces...
Read More
Africa Makerspace Network practical training session

Africa Makerspace Network practical training session

The second edition of the AMN Practical Training Session is set to happen on the 26th August, 2022 and is themed, “DIY and Everyday Hacks for Makerspaces”. This edition is centered on knowledge exchange on the theme. Participants would demonstrate simple hacks and DIYs that can be adopted to make work easier and faster in the makerspace setting.Venue: Zoom. Event link would be shared with participants once they register.Participant registration link;bit.ly/AMN-PracWk22 Inquiries should be channeled through info@africamakerspace.net The African Makerspace Network (AMN) is a community of African Makerspaces comprising researchers, innovators, hobbyists and students that use tools and equipment within a structured space for skills and knowledge sharing, community problem solving towards attaining a sustainable development in Africa. The Network birthed in 2019 currently has in its community about 27 makerspaces from across 10 African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire and Botswana. The purpose of enhancing harmonization among makerspaces in the African region to...
Read More
Join us in the Critical Making Mentoring Programme 2022

Join us in the Critical Making Mentoring Programme 2022

By Mugethi Gitau Comment Closed
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...
Read More