Since the project launched in March 2024 by FH OÖ F&E GmbH – Campus Steyr, Junior Maker Pioneers has supported 20 kids in its bi-monthly workshops and instructed another 230 pupils from seven schools in the Steyr and Wels regions.

With an emphasis on fostering creativity and innovation through learning hands-on technical skills about climate and energy topics, the Junior Maker Pioneers hosts two bi-monthly workshops at Steyr-Werke-Makerspace – one workshop for kids aged 8-10, and another workshop for kids aged 11-14. Each workshop is designed to teach specific skills tailored to the ages and competencies of each group of kids.

The bi-monthly workshops operate like a sports club team – a consistent team of kids meets regularly to apply their interests and learn how to innovate using plastics, wood, electrical materials, and recycled goods.

“There are a lot of other clubs for sports – but if kids want to craft and build, then there are not a lot of possibilities to do that,” Andrea Holzinger, project coordinator said.

Junior Maker Pioneers has created a consistent place for those kids now: “They finally have a place for that now – they have a place of their own. The kids are happy that they now have a place where they can go and work with other kids to make cool things.”

The consistency of the Junior Maker Pioneers club environment has positively contributed to the project’s success.

“The kids had a lot of fun, and they learned new things they already wanted to learn,” Holzinger said.

What’s more – in November, the project was awarded the Upper Austrian State Prize for Environment and Sustainability 2024 by the state of Upper Austria out of more than 200 project submissions.

Beyond MINDtastic, Junior Maker Pioneers is even more connected to TGW. In August 2024, the project trainers collaborated with the Grand Garage of TGW Future Wings for a workshop and knowledge exchange. Through the cooperation, Grand Garage trainers equipped Junior Maker Pioneers’ trainers with kid-focused know-how for craftsmanship, soldering, woodworking, and working on machinery.

The Grand Garage workshop helped solve the project team’s challenge of finding age-appropriate craftsmanship skills and workshop curriculum which can then be effectively taught to the kids. In the future, Junior Maker Pioneers looks forward to continuing its cooperation with Grand Garage and plans for a second trainer workshop facilitated by Grand Garage in the upcoming months.

The Junior Maker Pioneers project ends in 2027, but the team hopes the workshops will continue for years. “The idea is that the project becomes a club so the kids can still go to and continue their work after the project has ended,” Holzinger said.

Interested individuals can register for the project by contacting Andrea Holzinger at andrea.holzinger@fh-steyr.at.