Maker Fest Pakistan returns to Lahore with ‘Makeathon’, a unique summer camp for kids and young adults, in collaboration with the Alliance Française de Lahore.
Based on the activities around Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM), the camp is intended to enhance creative and critical thinking skills of youngsters. The camp features workshops by accomplished DIY experts in interesting areas from 3D printing to textile and robotics to origami.
Organised by SAMAAJ, the camp will take place at French Center from 7 June to 7 July 2018. The Makeathon Camp is currently accepting applications and aims to encourage children and young adults to innovate and create things of their own. Also, the youngsters will have an opportunity to showcase their creations to an appreciative audience, at a post-camp mini maker exhibit.
“We introduced the maker fest for the first time in Pakistan in 2017,” said the festival co-founder and director, Maryam Saeed “The festival was free and open to the public and attracted over 10,000 people in two days. This year, we’re introducing Makeathon prior to the festival which will help instil the DIY spirit in children and young adults.”
Some of the featured makers at Maker Fest Pakistan included creator of homemade delta printer Khalid Khattak, CNC router, 3D scanner and Quad copter and Wajahat and Marium who exhibited self-designed ergonomically sound furniture.
In addition to building a maker movement in Pakistan, another aim of the festival is to reignite the city’s past as a cultural hub and to celebrate the subcontinent’s roots in making that date back to the Indus Valley Civilization.
For the uninitiated, a maker is an individual who creates something new-whether it is crafting or experimenting with basic to advanced technologies. The festival offers the big break opportunity to hundred such makers from a different medium of arts and technology to showcase their creations before an inquisitive audience.
The two-day festival will bring together 100+ artists, crafters, tech innovators and entrepreneurs from all over the country and will host a number of talks featuring seasoned academics and tech gurus. Not only is it a platform for makers to come together to share their creations but also the attendees have an opportunity to unleash the maker in them through several hands-on activities. The call for makers will begin in July.
