Local USU Extension 4-H Youth Attend Maker Faire

Cache County — Utah State University Extension 4-H youth from Cache County attended the Bay Area Maker Faire, a festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness in San Mateo, Calif., on May 16 and 17.

Seth Duffin, Thayne Williams, Noah Lorimer and Brandon Murphy explored and completed hands-on activities in areas ranging from arts and crafts to engineering. They were accompanied by advisors Joel Duffin, Matt Lorimer and Dallin Graham. 

“We were able to ride funky bicycles, see huge metal works breathe fire, watch drones and model warships battle and use some of the newest technologies,” Graham said. “We especially enjoyed meeting people with similar visions and challenges across the county. The Maker Faire was inspiring.”

The trip was made possible through the Temporary Aid for Needy Families grant. The group also received funding from Cognizant, a global leader in business and technology services, as a part of their “Making the Future” initiative. This initiative was created to unleash the passion of young people in science, technology, engineering and math by creating fun, hands-on learning opportunities. The program was first introduced in Utah in 2012 as one of only 10 pilot programs in the country.

The “Making the Future” program is part of a larger “maker movement” that is taking place in the country that emphasizes the making and doing aspects of life in an attempt to bring back the creative skills that often get lost with large-scale production and manufacturing.

Last year, President Barack Obama issued a call to lift up makers, builders and doers across the country.

“Today’s D.I.Y. is tomorrow’s Made in America,” he said.

The White House is encouraging the “Week of Making” from June 12-18. Makers across the country will host events, workshops or activities to provide children and adults with the tools, technologies and resources they need to be part of the creative process and invent, create and make a more innovative future.  

“We’re in a situation where not enough kids are interested, or prepared, in science and technology fields,” said Dave Francis, USU Extension 4-H youth development specialist. “And we need them to be, to lead innovation and to solve the problems our world will face.”

For more information about the maker community in Cache Valley, contact Graham at dallin.graham@cachemakers.org. For more information about USU Extension 4-H events and summer camps, visit extension.usu.edu/cache.

Photos available at: http://tinyurl.com/qych9ch | Photos by: Matt Lorimer

Contact: Dallin Graham, dallin.graham@cachemakers.org

Writer: Shelby Ruud, shelby.ruud@usu.edu