MakerGhat

Preparing youth for the future of work through hands-on maker education.

MakerGhat aims to create the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders who come from diverse socioeconomic groups. Our programs nurture agency, confidence, and employability among youth through hands-on tinkering/making. We build low-cost makerspaces in schools and communities, accompanied by evidence-based curriculum and robust teacher training.

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HundrED 2024

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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2024

HundrED Global Collection 2023

Web presence

2018

Established

1M

Children

1

Countries

Target group

Students upper

Updated

September 2024

Makerspaces not only enable self-directed and hands-on learning, but offer the ideal environment to help youth critically question current status quos for sustainable community change.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

What if communities had the space, resources, and support to drive innovation and social change for themselves?

This question is what drives us at MakerGhat. Our programs aim to build a sense of agency and confidence among youth. We provide them the space and tools to think critically about challenges locally and beyond, and leverage resources at their disposal to build sustainable solutions.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

MakerGhat builds low-cost makerspaces in schools and communities, accompanied by evidence-based curriculum and robust teacher training. Our programs develop key skills and attitudes linked to employability through hands-on training. Youth aged 12 to 18 years spend at least 1.5 hours a week on our program to develop fundamental 21st-century skills linked to employability: critical thinking, problem-solving, self-efficacy, and communication and collaboration.

Our model involves four elements:
1. Safe physical spaces with portable kits: low-cost makerspaces or portable kits equipped with tools and materials, help with maintenance and daily operations
2. Training: training of teachers and administrators on strategies to build a culture of making and student-led learning
3. Curriculum: weekly workshop, aligned with syllabus, research-backed, customisable per grade and region, open-source
4. Monitoring and Evaluation: weekly embedded assessments, data-driven model, audit every month.

How has it been spreading?

Our goal is to reach a million youth by 2025. We engage in direct implementation in collaboration with government and non-profit institutions, working towards eventually being integrated into state and national school boards. We also aim to make our maker labs and curriculum open-source and accessible to enable anyone to build a maker culture in their community. As part of this initiative, we have developed a fellowship model as well and are hosting all our training content on YouTube.

We have reached over 50,000 youth to date, and are targeting 500,000 youth in 2022-2023 through partnerships with nonprofit and government stakeholders. We have programs in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, and are expanding to Kerala and Maharashtra.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

We are committed to sharing our program resources with anyone interested in building a maker culture in their school or community! Please reach out at makerghat@gmail.com if you would like to work with us.

Over the course of this year, we are making our materials open source to enable anyone, anywhere to start a maker space!

Impact & scalability

HundrED Academy Reviews

The rapid growth of MakerGhat shows that it's generating a very high impact on the ground. It focuses on the national education priorities of building 21st-century skills among youth, therefore becoming a feasible solution for genuine impact.

MakerGhat works with the public education system in India and has engaged both learners and teachers, therefore has a very strong scale potential. The Big Vision of the organisation and hitherto growth pathways make the scale story evident.

- Academy member

Academy review results

Impact

Scalability

Exceptional

High

Moderate

Limited

Insufficient

Exceptional

High

Moderate

Limited

Insufficient

Media

Teacher-made video on basic electronics

Water filter activity with materials available in the environment

Teacher-made video on students making little bots

Implementation steps

Identify your space and community

To get started with a makerspace, all you need is a community of learners (young people and adults) who are ready to embark on an exciting journey of hands-on learning. Identify a convening location for gatherings and activities and set up a recurring time and commitment to meet (we recommend at least 1.5 hours weekly).

Gather resources and tools

Before investing in fancy gadgets, bring together resources and tools that are already available to you. Cardboard, clay, bottles, straws, thermocol, scrap wood, and other "waste" are excellent materials for prototyping. Simple everyday tools may include glue, tape, sketch pens, and screwdrivers.

Nurture a maker culture

Ensure that all adults/educators/volunteers supporting the makerspace understand the rules of engagement and how to nurture a maker culture. MakerGhat can providing training support and resources to help strategize and practice how to build an open, safe, and collaborative space for learning.

We believe that making reflects an individual’s potential and motivation to build better worlds for themselves and others. There are certain values associated with making that we hold dear and encourage you to practice:

Curiosity: We are curious about the world and things that others make.

Self-esteem & Equality: We can make, and believe anyone else can make too.

Self-efficacy: We can learn what is needed to make.

Collaboration & Humility: We don't have to make alone. We ask for help when we need it and support others when they ask for help.

Integrity & Responsibility: We take responsibility for what we make, and make with care for ourselves, our communities, and the environment.

Leverage open-source content to conduct weekly activities

There are lots of resources out there to help you get started with making activities, including ones we have developed at MakerGhat! Reach out to us at makerghat@gmail.com to get access. We also have content available in local Indian languages.

Apply skills learned to a community project or initiative

Every program at MakerGhat ends with a community-centered capstone project! We encourage you to apply technical, design, and research skills learned to a community project or initiative.

Join & create maker communities

Nothing is achieved alone, the best way to keep your making activities as an educator or young person is by joining and nurturing strong communities of makers and local changemakers. Surround yourself by people you are inspired by, and be the change you wish to see in your community!

Document, share, teach, and learn

As you embark on this journey, document and share your learnings. Support others in your region and beyond who are interested in building a maker community, help them gather resources and people, and share your time and expertise with them. This is how we learn and grow together!

MakerGhat also has resources available to help track your students learning journeys and growth in self-efficacy, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills. Reach out to us at makerghat@gmail.com for support on these fronts.