Summer is here which means more youth visiting to make things in our Outreach events! This past month, through our partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Clarkston, we hosted some inspiring youth for the third year in a row to get them hands-on with soldering electronics in our e-shop, building wooden catapults in our woodshop, and telling stories with button making. But we also helped them build a Little Free Library for their community! So many smiles and so many maker skills realized.
One of the group leaders had this to say from a conversation with a teen refugee after the event:
"She has been struggling with English and feeling very defeated, but she said of her time at Decatur Makers (with a huge grin on her face), “I can do everything there! I like everything and I am good at it. These are the things I want to do.” We talked about how everyone has different skills, and recognized her strong skills of creativity, working with her hands, and problem-solving. She has recently decided to persevere to graduate high school, then attend technical college. Thanks for creating a space where realizations and confidence-building like this can happen!"
Woot woot! We love seeing the positive impact of making on our youth!
Big, huge, special thanks to all our volunteers who help us do what we do! Want to join the volunteer fun? Please click the link below and we'll help you get started.
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