MAKERSPACES, Safe Space for Introverts and Future Headquarters for Young Makers

What is a MAKERSPACE?

A makerspace, “sometimes also referred to as hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs are creative, DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn.”

Recently, the idea of being a “maker” is making a comeback. It’s really surreal to think that although technology is moving towards virtual reality, automation, and digital, we still want to go back to our roots and “make” with our hands. We want to create a tangible item or product that we can tinker, feel, and fool around with.

A few months ago, Buffalo Lab, local makerspace in Buffalo, participated in the Buffalo Mini Maker Faire, to bring awareness of our humble but growing makerspace.

Buffalo Mini Maker Faire was held on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at the Buffalo Science Museum.

At the Maker Faire, we saw a couple of familiar faces, but, some new ones, as well. Our booth was set up to engage folks who haven’t been to our space yet and to come check us out after the Maker Faire. We set up a badge station, where we repurposed Sparkfun’s Paper Circuit Pin, and used it as a takeaway project for visitors.

Sparkfun’s Paper Circuit Pin.

This simple project resonated with a lot of the attendees since we were able to chat with them for a bit longer and they left with a souvenir from our booth that they created.

Repurposed Sparkfun’s pin image with Buffalo Lab’s new and updated logo for the Buffalo Mini Maker Faire.

A few weeks after the event ended, new faces started showing up, and one particular mother/son pair stood out to me. One of the mothers brought her son, who was about 10 years old, to one of open labs. He wanted to learn more about the Arduino and was tinkering with one of his own at home. Her son sat with our director and he walked through the entire process with him, showing him the endless possibilities you could use the Arduino for, and tinkered away.

The son’s mother sat nearby and watched her son tinker, code, push buttons, and etc. She pulled me aside and shared with me that she’s never seen him in his own element before. He didn’t fit in with the athletes, or creatives. He shined the most when he was working with electronics and technology. Outsiders didn’t understand the allure of technology outside of social media, so it was exciting to see his hobby being supported. She was excited to see that he found a place where he felt normal and his interest in electronics didn’t box him in as the “weird” kid.

As she shared her thoughts with me, I realized that our makerspace was a “safe space” for aspiring makers like her son. Buffalo Lab encourages the idea of making dreams into realities and turning intangible thoughts into something physical.

With the direction that technology is heading towards, the introverts in the world who thrive in STEM fields, are making a comeback and makerspaces are a place to foster their passions.

Hearing and witnessing the genuine happiness that her son experienced while here and seeing the relief in his mother’s heart made me realize why I volunteered my time to making Buffalo Lab a permanent organization in the community. I wanted us to be an inclusive space that made people feel less alone about their interest in technology and electronics. It’s helped me reevaluate the way our organization is structured and motivates me to refocus Buffalo Lab to be a support system for our young makers.

What have your experience in makerspaces been like? How can we make everyone feel like they finally belong?