In June 2026, young people from our Maker City and Maker City+ programmes took over KWMC’s Making Space for our annual Maker City Showcase!
This year’s theme, “I am a Maker”, celebrated the skills, creativity and confidence young people have developed throughout the year. Visitors were invited to get hands-on with a series of making activities designed to introduce them to the digital fabrication tools in our Making Space.
What made the Showcase particularly special was that every activity had been dreamed up, developed and delivered by the young people themselves.
In the weeks leading up to the event, the young people worked together during after-school sessions to explore ideas for activities that would help others learn how to use our Making Space equipment. This includes digital fabrication kit like our laser cutter, UV printer and vinyl cutter. They then pitched their ideas to a panel of mentors from our Bristol Strategic Partnership in the style of Dragon’s Den!
From these pitches, three activities were selected: creating personalised fridge magnets using the laser-cutter, making bookmarks with the UV printer, and contributing to a communal tapestry using the vinyl cutter and heat press.
The young people then moved into the next stage of the process: refining their ideas, testing materials, troubleshooting problems and creating the resources needed to run the activities successfully on the day. By the time visitors arrived, they were ready to guide them through the making process with confidence.
The Showcase was a celebration of more than technical skills. It highlighted young people’s ability to lead projects, communicate ideas, solve problems and support others to learn. These are all central to our approach in Maker City, where we encourage young people to progress from observing, to practising, to teaching others. We describe this journey as: “Watch One, Learn One, Do One, Teach One”.
By the end of the Showcase, many participants had reached that final stage, sharing their knowledge with visitors and supporting others to experience the possibilities of digital making.
As we look ahead to the 2026-27 academic year, we’re excited to continue offering opportunities for young people to develop practical skills, creative confidence and leadership through projects focused on design, the built environment and social action.
We’re currently seeking collaborators, partners and funders who share our commitment to youth-led creativity and meaningful participation. If you’re interested in working with us around design, built environment, youth voice, and social action, we’d love to connect: youngpeople@kwmc.org.uk
Photos by Ibi Feher
Special thanks to our funders: Bristol City Council’s Strategic Partnership (Arcadis, Arup, Mott Macdonald), Comino Foundation, Medlock Charitable Trust, and The Society of Merchant Ventures.