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In this digital age, the role of a makerspace as a community hub is even more critical. It’s no longer just about making things with new technology. A makerspace can be an asset to your community, especially when natural disasters are happening more frequently and resiliency is at risk. If you aren’t familiar with a makerspace, think of it as a collaborative space where people from various backgrounds come together to make things ranging from art to gadgets using different kinds of machines and tools. This article will explore how a makerspace can quickly boost your community’s resilience and keep it that way for good.
What is Community Resilience?
One of the most significant issues that we face is a lack of community resilience. Resilience is the ability to withstand substantial change and adapt quickly to new conditions. Specifically, a community can bounce back from a major disaster (for example, a pandemic or earthquake) with as little disruption as possible. Many factors go into a community’s resilience, including physical equipment, mental strength, and connection within the community. Whether a community is resilient also depends on what type of disaster or disruptive event it is facing. For example, a community might be more resilient to a hurricane than an earthquake. Communities can generally become more resilient if they start by having each of these factors in place.
How will a makerspace boost community resilience?
A makerspace can boost community resilience in a variety of ways. If a community faces a natural disaster, the makerspace can help with quick recovery by providing tools for essential repairs and even creating new tools for specific situations. Makerspaces are full of tools that we can use to help the community in different ways. For example, we can use a 3D printer to create new tools for repairs or create replacement parts for homes that have been significantly damaged. A makerspace can provide its members with the skills to be prepared for when a disaster happens. In some situations, these skills can be as simple as knowing how to fix the stuff by yourself. Other than skills, it can also serve as a community innovation hub to strengthen community bonding and make something for the community together.
Maker Education
we can also use a makerspace to provide different forms of maker education through online courses and in-person classes. In a community that is particularly vulnerable to a disaster, giving maker education that can help the community become more resilient through non-technical skills is essential. For example, providing training for people in your community about how to store food in the event of a pandemic properly is a good use of maker education. A lot of pandemic preparation is just proper hygiene, like washing your hands and avoiding contact with people who may be sick. While these hygiene practices are essential, they aren’t instrumental in the event of a pandemic that occurs naturally rather than being artificial. A makerspace can also provide training in areas like first aid and self-defence that are useful in all situations.
Maker Infrastructure
A makerspace can help build the infrastructure of a community by promoting collaboration. When people come together and use resources like equipment, computers, and tools to make things together, they often create new ideas and build friendships. Making things together often helps people develop new solutions to old problems in their community. Collaboration among members of the makerspace can create innovative ideas that can help the community solve issues that may be holding it back. For example, if a major road in a community is in poor condition, coming up with a solution to fix it can be challenging for a group of people to come up with. But if people from the community join together in a makerspace to brainstorm ways to fix the road, they have more resources available to help them come up with ideas. Having a group come together to brainstorm collaboratively in a makerspace is much easier than trying to do it one-on-one or in small groups. Collaboration in a makerspace can help the community develop solutions for problems that affect it on a large scale.
Making Things is Hard - So Build Makerspace Infrastructure
Finally, a makerspace can help build infrastructure in a community by providing a space where people can work on projects and create new things. A makerspace can also be used as a coworking space where people can come together and work on projects that affect their community. The infrastructure created by a makerspace can be beneficial in a community that is new or struggling in some way. Having a place where people can come together and make new things can quickly help the community become more resilient. A makerspace can help accelerate the creation of infrastructure in a new community. A makerspace can also be particularly helpful in a community that is rebuilding or recovering from a major disaster. It can be difficult for people to coordinate their efforts because they are trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible. A makerspace can help provide a place where people can come together and work on projects that will lead to short-term progress in their community.
Conclusion
There are many benefits associated with a makerspace, including the ability to boost community resilience. However, this can only happen if the makerspace has the proper infrastructure and is appropriately prepared to face the challenges of being a hub for the community. If you want your makerspace to boost community resilience, it needs to be ready.
Let me know if you have any thoughts on boosting community resilience, and I believe it will be an essential topic soon. Email me at cyron@makerbay.org .