Chicago Mobile Makers is a nonprofit organization in Chicago that offers free and low-cost youth workshops encompassing design, architecture, digital fabrication, basic construction and place-making in Chicago communities. In the last year, we engaged more than 100 youth, held 25 workshops, and served eight different neighborhoods. Our founder, Maya Bird-Murphy, was featured live on WTTW Chicago Tonight and we were featured in Fast Company Magazine as a 2018 World Changing Idea.

We currently have the capabilities to host entry-level workshops within classrooms, or any space that can accommodate students. We bring workshops to communities so communities don’t have to find a way to get to us. We want to create as much access as possible to young people who may have never thought about a career in design, digital fabrication, or the construction trades.

We believe the best way to provide access is to build a mobile makerspace - a retrofitted step van that holds power tools, hand tools, and anything needed to design and make. We have secured the funds for the step van itself and we'll be purchasing it this spring. We will continue to find funding for the build-out throughout the summer.