Making the change we seek requires changing hearts and minds about what is reality and what is possible. For so long making and digital fabrication has been viewed as reserved for the privileged few. Through the work of our organizations, FBC is changing that. But we cannot do it alone. Changing the STEM equity narrative through digital fabrication and making requires listening to others, that is, seeing them, hearing them, and learning from them. Knowing the stories of others is transformative.
FBC encourages all organizations in the field to engage in storytelling as a tool for equity in their organizations and in the field through their advocacy, programming, and operations. To help you get started in reaping the benefits of the transformative power of storytelling, the resources to all of the tools we used throughout the process are available for downloading here.
The following are questions used by members of the FBC to conduct our equity interviews. The collection of stories are organized by the intended purpose of the question. In preparing to conduct your interview, select from this list as needed. Or, after reviewing, be inspired to develop your own questions. ...
During our workshop, this sheet was used to build out our Equity Storytelling Framework to include those considerations that were important for an effective and generative interview. The chart guides us to think about our ways of being during equity interviews. That is what’s important for conducting the interviews, that is, mapping out what to say and do to get the best stories that respect and honor our interviewees, their narratives, and time....
With our values in mind, going through the planning worksheet ensures that your interview is customized. That is, it is designed for the individual you are interviewing, the topic, and the context. Each of these can affect the outcome of our interview so we developed a process to think about these things ahead of time and to design the interview structure accordingly....
The following are questions used by members of the FBC to conduct our equity interviews. The collection of stories are organized by the intended purpose of the question. In preparing to conduct your interview, select from this list as needed. Or, after reviewing, be inspired to develop your own questions. ...
The following are questions used by members of the FBC to conduct our equity interviews. The collection of stories are organized by the intended purpose of the question. In preparing to conduct your interview, select from this list as needed. Or, after reviewing, be inspired to develop your own questions. ...
The Field Building Collaborative’s first priority was to engage in a shared learning experience through a series of equity and anti-racism workshops. In partnership with AORTA, the FBC members were able to learn and identify how oppression and inequitable practices impact our work. The FBC moved from this series of workshops to a mapping process to uncover our current strengths and opportunities for growth....
Aline plans and implements research-driven maker initiatives as a program manager at a university. In sharing her equity story, Aline reflected on the feelings of being supported in her work and communication with her core team along with instances of feeling marginalized in some interactions with the broader academic institutions in which her lab lives and has lived in....
I’m an educator, an immigrant, a daughter, a sister, a wife, and a new mom. I was raised and loved fiercely by a single mother. I’m ambitious, I have big dreams, and I care deeply about a lot of things. I care about healing math trauma and making math learning more culturally relevant, especially for people of color....
The term minimalism is also used to describe a trend in design and architecture where in the subject is reduced to its necessary elements. Minimalist design has been highly influenced by Japanese traditional design and architecture. In addition, the work of De Stijl artists is a major source of reference for this kind of work....
Maker funds of knowledge come from a variety of sources, but for many of us, they come from our first experiences, those with our families. In particular, in resource-limited environments, making is more economically advantageous than consumerism....
João is a current graduate student participating in international maker initiatives and research. In sharing his equity story, João reflects on his feeling of belonging--extending to confidence in participation and ability to excel--in the different contexts from his days playing football in primary school, to studying computer engineering at university and now education as a graduate student....
I’m an educator, an immigrant, a daughter, a sister, a wife, and a new mom. I was raised and loved fiercely by a single mother. I’m ambitious, I have big dreams, and I care deeply about a lot of things. I care about healing math trauma and making math learning more culturally relevant, especially for people of color....