On November 21st, over 20 students from Winnipeg’s Met schools traded in their pens and pencils for soldering irons as they worked together to build assistive switches and adapt RC car toys for children with disabilities as part of Neil Squire’s #HackingForTheHolidays (new window) campaign.
“This was a really neat opportunity to do something hands on,” says Exchange Met School principal Jane Suchy. “I’d say everyone who was involved was engaged the entire time.”
Participants were largely made up of a cohort of students in grades 11 and 12 interested in engineering, and the build event gave them a chance to apply the things they are learning in STEAM workshops while also engaging in teamwork and problem solving. Some students from grades nine and 10 also participated.
For many of the students, it was the first time they had ever soldered.
The Met schools — which include Exchange, Seven Oaks Met School, and Maples Met School — are based around project-based learning and connecting kids with the community, making them a perfect fit for a Makers Making Change build event.
“It was a match made in heaven,” explains Jane. “We’re always trying to create opportunities for students at our school to give back to the community.”
She noted that one student had mentioned they were inspired by the event to explore careers involving using engineering to improve life situations for persons with disabilities.
In all, the students built 12 RC cars and 24 switches, which will be donated to local clinicians and families in Manitoba.
This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.