Framework and Support for Economic Inclusion

Youth economic advancement

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

We continue to address issues we experience since 2012 as we support makers and social entrepreneurs.
Traditional education often limits business education to the development and execution of a business plan. However, it is known that entrepreneurship requires passion, leadership, creativity, curiosity, persistence, ability to see long range and near term, risk-taking, adaptability, comfort with failure. These skills are left to the individual to seek out and develop.
Entrepreneurs are taught to establish their business environment as a for profit entity. Social entrepreneurs might establish a non-profit entity if they already have the support, but doing this is hard. They might apply to a fiscal agency but, like us, might be declined. They might work for years to advance their social purposes, then eventually fail. Maybe they will succeed.
Not everyone can afford to be an entrepreneur, let alone a social one. There are many impactful people with good ideas they do not execute.

Our programs provide ways for us to engage / support individuals in idea development. We focus on the Maker and Entrepreneurial mindsets through hands-on practical experiences in a variety of settings. We provide volunteer management and program oversight and work with Government and other entities to bring project funding and paid work to our community. We are developing a new job-creating apprenticeship.
Makersville provides resources for STEAM education and product prototyping/development (space, equipment, knowledge) and a learn-to-share-and-teach goal. It takes ideas and projects forward into products and provides a number of starter projects for those who do not yet have an idea. It is a for-profit enterprise with agreements with agencies and non-profits for project-based payroll services.
Brand Ambassadors provides opportunities to grow product and brand visibility through group participation in sales and sharing at local markets, conventions, hosting brand-related events (learn finding sponsors, writing grants, budgeting, managing events, advertising, social media, reporting).
Young Ambassadors provides an international view to community and business, and ways to connect with others internationally. In quarterly cohorts, we will work with youth aged 14-26 to include their goals into our programs and projects, hosting core planned events that are sharing opportunities for our community, and adding other projects and events as the community wishes to experiment.

Independent micro-factories and Makerspaces, each as small as one person, instruct in STEAM education and skills learning, produce hand-made products designed, created and assembled locally and are joined together by us. Handmade products might be stuffed animals, historic postcards, community created books, jigsaw puzzles, electronics and robotics learning project kits or Carnival games.
Customers are sponsors who invite our youth to do themed product giveaways at their events or ours.
Our Brand Ambassadors develop events that leverage the Carnival games and products of our local Makerspaces, Micro-factories, providing guidance on sponsor themes for and contract with Microfactories and Makerspaces.
Our Young Ambassadors create local and International events and experiences for our makerspaces and micro-factories. Quarterly/annual meetings plan next steps and celebrate.
Our community: youth aged 14-26 (opportunity youth and volunteers), mentors aged 26+, families with K-12 students.

This is a new set of programs, therefore a new initiative of Makersville Services. Community is defined as our Makers, Brand Ambassadors, Young Ambassadors, their boards and volunteers.
Our programs will each measure the number of:
-opportunities we create in support of our communities (categorized by class, event and whether participated in or led by our collaborators)
-The size and accomplishments of those opportunities
-Numbers of community members that share what they do at our events (individual or business)
-Numbers of projects, new businesses and social enterprises that are started, continue and completed by our community
-Numbers of volunteers that support our projects and events
-Numbers of attendees at our events or the events we support

ETES Inc. dba Makersville will provide Payroll management for any employee payroll needed. This ensures that our community members are able to continue their volunteer roles with Makersville Services while still being able to be paid (economic inclusion) for project based work. Makersville provides an environment for product development and monetization of digital products.