After being named one of eight national finalists, the Tualatin ABC Team (Tualatin Chamber of Commerce, Mask & Mirror Community Theatre, Tigard Tualatin School District (TTSD), Tualatin Tomorrow and the City of Tualatin) has been busy over the last few months and making major progress implementing plans for the Tualatin Mobile Makerspace, and further developing our vision for the long-term goal of the Community Career and Creative Center (CCCC).
Makerspaces are places where people can make, invent, and learn. They are creative, “do it yourself ” spaces providing tools and equipment. The Tualatin mobile makerspace will provide hands-on learning experiences for youth, to spark an interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) subjects.
We have many volunteers serving on different teams to help implement our vision, and each team is working hard to bring STEAM education to Tualatin’s youth and prepare them for the jobs of the future. Check out the updates from each of our teams and learn how to get involved!
Curriculum Team
Curriculum developed by the Tualatin Library and TTSD staff has been serving students in Tualatin’s elementary schools since October. However, with the addition of the mobile trailer which will roll out this month, there are many other things we would like to see happen with the curriculum including to reach more kids:
• Developing plans to expand STEAM curriculum to middle school students.
• Targeting youth populations in neighborhoods (including apartment complexes) and community events.
• Connecting with local manufacturing/ tech companies to develop activities which relate directly to Tualatin businesses.
This team will be working on ideas for how to achieve these goals in the coming months.
Makerspace and Equipment
The mobile makerspace trailer is preparing to make its debut at the upcoming Tualatin State of the City event on January 24, 2017. Thanks to the many volunteers and professionals who have shared time, resources, and expertise to design and build the trailer including John Bartholomew of Mask and Mirror Community Theatre, Tim Kitch and his team at ADI Mobile Health, Gregg Meyer at Portland Community College, Jane Larsen of Jane Ink and many others. This was a team effort, and it is exciting to see the finished work. Check out photos on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/tualatinabc.
Marketing Team
The marketing team has been busy trying to build buzz around the mobile makerspace as we prepare for the big unveiling of the trailer in late January. To assist with these efforts, the team has enlisted students from Tualatin High School who have volunteered at the Starry Nights and Holiday Lights event and have been working on developing content for the project’s social media pages. You can view some of their content on our pages:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ tualatinmakerspace
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tualatinabc
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tualatinabc Community volunteer Arthur Breur, Firespike, LLC has adding his company’s talents to help revamp our ABC (www. tualatinabc.org) and Makerspace (www. tualatinmakerspace.org) websites.
Finally, the marketing team is preparing for the big launch event at the 2017 Tualatin State of the City event on January 24, 2017. The trailer will be ready to showcase to the community and we will have activities, giveaways and information about how to get involved with the makerspace.
Competition Team
The team is now focusing on further developing their plans for sustainability of the mobile makerspace and the CCCC. They have been identifying possible partnerships, funding opportunities, analyzing future costs and more. The team enlisted SRG Partnership, an architecture firm that has worked on several other City buildings in Tualatin to develop a conceptual plan and cost estimate for the CCCC. SRG generously donated their time to the team and developed a first draft concept of the building which shows a performing arts/flexible community space, permanent makerspace, office, kitchen, and classrooms/training/meeting rooms. The cost estimates are still being developed and will be available in late January.
Finance Team
The Finance Team has developed several ways to give to the project including financial donations, equipment donations and volunteering. We are grateful to our local supporters and hope to continue raising additional funds and engaging the community through activities and volunteer opportunities as we prepare for the final round of the America’s Best Communities competition. Thanks to the community support, Tualatin has a chance to win the grand prize of $3 million to continue bringing STEAM education to youth in our community.
For more information regarding Tualatin ABC and how you can donate or volunteer
• Visit our website: www.tualatinabc.org
• Donate at: www.tualatinmakerspace.org/ donations.html
• For small donations visit GoFundMe at: www.gofundme.com/tualatinabc
• Contact Sara Singer: sara@jroandco.com.
