Maker Ed Announces Incredible Progress on Maker Corps Program at CGI America

PRESS RELEASE

Maker Ed Announces Incredible Progress on Maker Corps Program at CGI America

Impact will Reach More Than 140,000 Youth and Families

Denver, CO,  June 25, 2014 – Maker Ed’s Interim Executive Director had the honor of reaffirming Maker Ed’s commitment to our Maker Corps program on stage with President Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative America.

I’m Lisa Regalla of the Maker Education Initiative. We believe that hands-on building – or making – can uniquely spark a student’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. That’s why, in 2012, Maker Ed, with Cognizant and Intel – and later with the support of Google, the Grable Foundation, and others – committed to equip youth-serving organizations with interactive STEM resources and support through Maker Corps.

In 2013, our commitment provided STEM mentorship to over 90,000 youth and families in 19 states. We’re excited to report that we’re expanding our commitment and are on track to exceed our goal to reach 140,000 students before September.

Maker Ed Board Member and Director of Education for Intel Carlos Contreras attended CGI America this year and shared, “Intel is proud to have been a founding sponsor of Maker Ed’s work, and we look forward to continuing to partner with Maker Ed moving forward. The incredible impact of Maker Ed in its first two years is a testament to the value of making in education.”

Maker Corps increases the capacity of youth-serving organizations nationwide to engage youth and families in making. Diverse Maker Corps Members expand the current network of makers, mentors, and community leaders poised to lead creative experiences for youth.

Maker Ed was founded through a commitment made in 2012 at CGI America in response to President Obama’s Education to Innovate Campaign, where we announced that, in Year 1, we would place 100 Corps Members in 20 organizations to impact 10,000 kids and families. In 2013 alone, 108 Maker Corps Members were placed at 34 Host Sites and impacted more than 90,000 youth and families.

By the end of summer 2014, we expect to impact more than 140,000 kids and families, already exceeding our goals for the three-year commitment in two years.

Maker Ed doesn’t plan to stop here. Interim Executive Director Lisa Regalla said, “The success of Maker Corps has demonstrated the power of professional development paired with ongoing support to empower individuals and organizations to work together to achieve common goals. We look forward to exploring how the Maker Corps model can be extended to provide year-round support for communities interested in providing accessible making experiences for youth.”