Makerspaces provide youth with resilience, adaptability: Concordia

Taking part in active, hands-on learning in social settings helps youth become more resourceful, adaptable, and resilient, write Concordia University President Alan Shepard and Associate Professor Ann-Louise Davidson. Shepard and Davidson write about how makerspaces engage students who do not thrive in the traditional classroom, allow youth to take pride in tangible accomplishments, and encourage problem solving through consultation and community. “Taken together, the benefits of making and mixing improve self-confidence, self-direction and respect for diversity,” they conclude, “perhaps the best attributes for resilience in the 21st century.” The Province