THINKWELL IS POWERING ON
’Our future won’t be defined by the crisis but by our response to it. Do we adapt, come together, and innovate to create a new and brighter future? That’s how the Great Depression and WW2 led to a manufacturing renaissance and the greatest middle class in the history of the world.‘
https://makezine.com/2020/04/04/we-need-a-new-ccc-for-recovery-the-civic-response-corps/
You are needed by your community. Unprecedented social and societal disruption has wrenched us from our routines. Covid 19 has turned out the lights on our plans, visions of the future, and our ability to carry out the lives we were working so hard to improve.
Uncertainty has become the constant, change is the “new normal”. For some, it’s been an inconvenience. For most, it’s been an opportunity to adapt to change. For others it has been disorienting and terrifying. We are screaming from our dark caves into the only portal we’ve got left to interact with each other and it’s not going well for us…(hint, you’re staring at it now).
Race, gender, politics, ecology, economy. Is there any facet of life that has not been impacted? Is there anything left to argue about? To divide us against ourselves?
This is not a claim to have answers to these larger societal issues. I believe it is time to form a response that includes the best and brightest from our community – engaged to create a baseline for growth in all these areas of conflict. Idealistic? Maybe – but we have to start somewhere.
Rep. Tim Ryan – (D) Ohio
“In the midst of a deep crisis brought on by COVID-19, our nation is once again facing an inflection point in its history — just as it did in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930’s.”
A maker community provides proof of critical mass of culture and vitality within our local community:
- We are here to turn the lights on.
- We are here to be beacons of hope.
- It’s our turn to shine.
A makerspace addresses three primary social concerns:
- Communities need leaders who are engaged and active in supporting innovation, creativity, and constructive social response in times of crisis.
- Individuals need access to a community whose primary goal is support of their mental wellness and their ability to self-motivate, become empowered, and seek to overcome their own problems or limitations.
- Children and young adults need mentors, guidance, and most of all support from surrogate role models who look like them and understand their needs.
Here’s how it works:
- Individually, we are makers.
- Together, we form a maker community.
- As a community, we establish a space.
- In that space, we create a response.
Dale Dougherty – Founder of Make: Magazine,
“ If the government response is Plan A and industry response is Plan B, then Plan C is the civic response. Plan C is made up of individuals and self-organizing groups, collaborating online to develop DIY designs for medical equipment and protective gear. They are addressing the breakdown of the manufacturing supply chain by making parts themselves in garages, barns, and makerspaces.”
Calling All College Students, Retirees, Unemployed, K12 Teachers, Informal Educators, Hairstylists, Science Center Staff, Sports Reporters, Personal Fitness Trainers, Pre-school Teachers, Audio/Video Producers, Roboticists, Repair Technicians, Social Media Mavens, Engineers, Hobbyists, Community Organizers, Community Center staffers, Librarians, Waiters, Baristas, Data Scientists, At-home Parents, and Many Others Whose Lives Have Been Disrupted.
The civic response needs YOU. Even though there is no formal organization called the Civic Response Corps, YOU can act on your own as part of the civic response to the COVID-19 crisis. The one thing to realize is that today’s civic response is self-organizing and we have all the tools we need to do the work. Although not everyone is trained in using these tools, the tools themselves are widely available.
THIS IS THE ROLE OF THE MAKERSPACE
A makerspace is a democratized collection of tools and experience organized for the purpose of developing entrepreneurs, tinkerers, creatives and leaders. It is more than just a shop class. It is a space devoted to the process of conditioning you to find your best self and connect with those around you.
What we think, we become.
YOU need to use whatever skills you possess at any skill level. YOU don’t need a technical or medical background to get started. Problem solvers, producers of all kinds, community organizers and coordinators are needed. What matters most is your ability to learn to do new things and act alongside your fellow citizens. We can #maketogether the solutions, although not physically side-by-side. We have to act with resolve as a community of shared purpose. The immediate problem is the the shortage of medical supplies and equipment. But there are other problems that face us to recover from this crisis. That’s the magnitude of the challenge requiring this community-wide civic response, not just in the US but everywhere.
Dale Dougherty
Here are a few ways to get involved:
- First and foremost, follow guidelines for shelter-in-place, social distancing, and face mask use to protect yourself, your family and others in your community.
- Look for efforts in your local area to join
- Reach out to makerspaces in your area to see what they are doing and how you can help
- Let us know about your civic response efforts. You can email me at jesseblunt@gmail.com
- #DoWhatYouCan #maketogether #planc #civicresponse
