The goal of the project “Engaging Youth in Maker Culture: Helping Them Succeed in a Competitive World” is to help youth become intrinsically motivated – both emotionally and academically, dare to dream, and to develop positive perceptions about their capacity to be involved in complex projects that require many skills, are multifaceted and require a community of practice to solve problems that matter to them.

Through this partnership between Concordia University and Maison des Jeunes, Côte-des-Neiges (MdJ-CdN), we are developing a community of makers. We are pursuing two specific objectives: 1) build local expertise and a makerspace with facilitators and youth from MdJ-CdN, in order to enhance the youth’s intrinsic motivation, and 2) create channels for knowledge exchange and knowledge mobilization between youth from MdJ-CdN and the Concordia University maker community, so that we can produce a successful model of a community-university partnership that we can use in a larger partnership grant.

TechTuesdays, which take place on Tuesdays from 4 to 7 are opportunities to join the community of makers. Anybody from the community can come, including parents, members of the community, teachers, librarians, etc. TechTuesdays are filled with opportunities to learn about creative coding, 3D printing or how to use tools, take new initiatives and build projects. This project is funded by SSHRC and Concordia University.