LAKESHORE ELEMENTARY - TINKERING POPUP

We had a fantastic time hosting a booth at Lakeshore Elementary's recent PTA Fundraiser: "Supehero Saturday." KIDmob provided a tinkering popup, so that kids could drop by and use a variety of materials to transform themselves into Superheros for the day. We also had a 3D printer hard at work creating parts for another Robohand, a draw-it-yourself character stand for all of the little artists out there, and a good-smelling popcorn machine to add to the fun. Kids explored materials, devising capes and masks and exoskeletons, learned about 3D printing prosthetics, and had a generally hands-on good time. Thank you to all of the parents and kids who made it out to our booth, to our awesome team, Maia, Kate, and Kadi, and to the wonderful folks at Lakeshore Elementary, Mimi Rosenheim and Ranu Mukhergee, who invited us to join for the day. We look forward to our next collaboration!

LIGHTHOUSE CHARTER HAS BEEN MOBBED!

Lighthouse Community Charter School is home to a Creativity Lab, a community space welcome to all, a buzzing hub of maker education. Aaron Vanderwerff and the folks of the Creativity Lab offer access to maker guidance, space to work, tours, professional development, and supplies for all who come. Some of those supplies include 3D printing technology and a vinyl cutter, which is where the KIDmob team came in. Our brief: How might educators (not just Creativity Lab teachers) in the school community integrate these existing on-campus tools into their curricula? KIDmob, in partnership with Lighthouse Community Charter School and made possible through a grant from the eBay Giving Foundation, created a one-day professional development workshop aimed at exploring that question, as well as familiarizing Lighthouse educators to working with the on-campus resources (in particular the 3D printer and vinyl cutter). We had a fun and intensive day of brainstorming ideas and getting to know the machines. It was incredibly fascinating to observe how different teachers envisioned the tools fitting into their classes, from 12th grade Science to 2nd grade Art. A big thank you to all of the great Lighthouse teachers that we had the opportunity to work with - you guys are an inspiration! 

Lighthouse Charter

SUPERHERO CYBORGS ENROLLMENT IS OPEN!

KIDmob is excited to launch our newest initiative: the Superhero Cyborgs workshop! We are going to be providing an ongoing build your own prosthetics workshop for kids. Imagine a prosthetic hand that can not only grip and pick things up, but also acts as a nerf shooter, or a solar powered battery pack, or has a built in extendable back scratcher! We hope to explore as many ideas as the kids can dream up, through the KIDmob design framework approach. Our first workshop will be this July, in Providence, Rhode Island. For more information or to apply online, click here. This project would not be possible without the generous support of our project partners, The Helping Hands Foundation and Brown University School of Engineering. Are you a corporation interested in sponsoring this awesome project? Contact Kadi Franson: Kadi@kidmob.org. 

YOUTH DESIGN SUMMIT KICKSTARTER FUNDED!

Thanks to you, we reached our funding goal! A big shout out to the friends, family, organizations, and believers that supported our Kickstarter campaign! To the 201 folks who contributed funding, the 682 of you who facebook shared the page, the hundreds of tweeters who tweeted it up, our friends at GOOD.is and all the other folks who helped to spread the word - we could not have done this without you! Much like everything we've done at KIDmob, this work would truly not be possible without a solid foundation of encouragement, love, and belief in what is possible from our network - you guys are the best. 

After a long flight and saddle bagged with lots of supplies, Kate, Patima, and Tyler landed in Haiti yesterday. True to KIDmob form, the team hit the ground running - the 2014 Youth Design Summit, bridging creativity internationally, is now officially underway! Three groups of kids from different backgrounds, cultures, and geographies are now getting ready to meet one another for the first time, break the ice, and dive into some intensive creative problem solving. Using the design process as a common language, these kids are going to be tackling community opportunities local to each group. What will they come up with? Stay posted for updates live from the workshop in Port-au-Prince, launching on April 10th!

YOUTH DESIGN SUMMIT: BRIDGING CREATIVITY INTERNATIONALLY

Plans for April's Youth Design Summit are officially underway! We've completed workshops with all of the students invited to attend. Through building familiarity with KIDmob's process, we have worked hard to establish a common language around design. Our hopes are that this common language will provide a unified framework within which students can effectively work together across varying cultures, languages, and backgrounds. Students from Indian Valley Academy (IVA), The Union School Haiti, and Rebuild Globally's Youth Apprenticeship program will converge for a week-long intensive workshop. During this week, they will all be working together with a shared goal: to design solutions to address an issue local to each community.

As part of an effort to build student relationships prior to the Youth Summit, we've conducted an international artifact exchange. The students' next task will be to create a narrative around the artifacts they have received: Why are they important? Who owned them? We'll continue to build these connections as we lay the groundwork leading up to April. All students are on board and excited - the pieces are falling into place! 

Next big step: KIDmob is launching a crowd funding campaign to make this trip happen. Your contribution will cover the workshop costs, so that we may invite all of the students to attend for free. This is one crucial way for us to set a stage where everyone will have an equal voice. Every donation counts - please consider helping out!

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UPDATE ON ILAB // HAITI

We had an amazing two weeks with our Haitian counterparts at the iLab! KIDmob focused this trip on helping the iLab team define future goals and strategies in order to continue working towards our shared goal: to cultivate a positive and self-sustaining program. This included brainstorming how to effectively execute the iLab vision, as well as how to leverage available resources - namely, the internet - to acquire the skills needed to move forward. The team spent time working on the business model, and we are enthusiastic to report that they are negotiating a couple of new contracts!

As we look towards the future, we are excited to move KIDmob more and more into a position of support, encouragement, and mentorship. We are confident that this all-star team will be able to make it happen. They're steering the ship: we're excited to see where they will take it, and we are committed to helping them get there! If you would like to contribute your ideas to the iLab, post comments below!

Brainstorming the future of the iLab

Brainstorming the future of the iLab

THE UNION SCHOOL HAS BEEN MOBBED!

If there is one thing everyone at The Union School Haiti can agree on, it’s that their cafeteria system isn’t working. After 10 Union high school students interviewed peers, faculty, and staff, they found that there is not enough room for everyone in the cafeteria. There is a seating shortage due to backpacks being left on tables and benches, trays are scattered everywhere, and people become pushy in line because the wait is so long. 

First, the high school students noticed that the small lockers in the corner of the cafeteria are rarely used. After a brainstorming session, they suggested removing the unused lockers and replacing them with a cubby and hook system. Due to material constraints, the students used old textbooks and wood to frame out the cubbies.

Then, the students suggested another register be added. This would allow the congested line to split in two, thus, improving the flow and reducing pushiness. The students brainstormed about an organizational system for the discarded trays, plates, and silverware. They thought, why not mount units on the tops of the trash cans to hold and organize these items? Then students can clean up efficiently after themselves. 

We hope these changes will improve lunch for everyone in the school community! And we look forward to working with this group of students again at the Youth Summit in April!

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