Makerspaces range from simple rooms in public libraries with craft-type supplies all the way up to community hubs with major warehouses and machinery such as MakerCube in Langley, BC. They define their space as:
“... a communal workspace where people can share tools, knowledge, and skills. It’s a shop where we create, not consume. A hub for producers, inventors, students, and educators. A home for inspiration and innovation. A place where you feel like you can make anything.” -Maker Cube
Makerspaces in schools most often live in communal, visible spaces where tools, supplies, and machines can be placed for student use.
There are 3 basic aspects of Sustainable Development that we need to consider:
Taking care of our natural world is of the utmost importance, as natural processes sustain all life on earth.
Everything we make, build, and consume starts with nature. Awareness of what we buy and how we produce things will allow us to create the things we need and want in a way that won't damage the natural world, our communities, or the health and wellbeing of our neighbours, both near and far.
Creating opportunities for as many as people as possible to be the very best versions of themselves is the way to create a healthy, happy, and sustainable society. Fairness matters. If we create progress for some at the expense of others, a sustainable society will elude us.
This project is aimed toward Middle Years students (Grades 5-9) with access to a physical makerspace, digital makerspace (computer space), or a makerspace with CNC machines like 3D printers.
Through the combination of the Design Thinking Process and the BC Applied Design Skills and Technology Curriculum (ADST), we aim to frame problem-solving around SDG-based problems while providing different options based on the materials students have in their Makerspace.