Fabnewport

INSPIRING THE MAKER IN ALL OF US

NEWPORT EXPERIENCE (NEX)SEEKS TO OFFER OPPORTUNITIES OTHERWISE NOT AVAILABLE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEWPORTS NORTH END. AT ITS CORE NEX IS DESIGNED TO SERVE STUDENTS WHO, BECAUSE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, DONT TRADITIONALLY ACCESS THE AREAS EXTENSIVE ARRAY OF OPPORTUNITIES. THE CORE OF THE NEX PROGRAM INVOLVES WORKING WITH 80 NEWPORT STUDENTS OVER A SIX WEEK SUMMER PROGRAM, AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, AND COMMUNITY OUTINGS. DURING OUR SUMMER CAMP, THE NEX SUMMER IMMERSION STUDENTS EXPLORE THEIR CITY AND WORK WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO BROADEN THEIR HORIZONS. DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, NEX STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING THAT FOSTERS EXPLORING, DEVELOPING A RANGE OF NEW SKILLS AND MAKING AS A MEANS TO BUILD SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE. STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN CLASSES SUCH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM, A BILINGUAL MAKER CLASS, A COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASS, AND AN OPEN LAB, THAT IS OPEN TO ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DIVE DEEPER INTO INTERESTS THAT CAN LEAD TO POTENTIAL CAREER PATHS AND FABNEWPORT PROVIDES THE RESOURCES, EITHER IN HOUSE OR THROUGH ONE OF MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS, TO CULTIVATE THOSE INTERESTS. OUTSIDE OF THE CORE PROGRAMMING OF NEX, FABNEWPORT HAS BEGUN TO BROADEN ITS IMPACT BY OFFERING A YOUNG ADULT PROGRAM CALLED NORTH END NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCLES AND BY HIRING AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS TO WORK IN THE NEWPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE NORTH END NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCLES ENGAGES MOSTLY YOUNGER ADULTS AND SOME OLDER IN THE NORTH END COMMUNITY TO BUILD THEIR SKILLS AND TURN THEIR INTERESTS INTO CAREER PATHS. MANY OF THOSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCLES PROGRAM ARE ARTISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE GIVEN THE RESOURCES TO EXPAND AND MAKE A LIVING OFF OF THEIR SKILLS. THE AMERICORPS PROGRAM, CHECK & CONNECT, CONNECTS VOLUNTEERS WITH NEWPORT STUDENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH TRUANCY. THE AMERICORPS MEMBERS ACT AS MENTORS TO THE YOUNG STUDENTS, WORKING WITH THEM IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL, TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS SCHOOL AND HELP THEM SUCCEED.

PVD YOUNG MAKERS OFFERS PROGRAMMING IN THE 10 PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARIES THAT EMPOWER YOUTH TO DEVELOP LEADERSHIP, MENTORING, TECHNOLOGY, AND CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE. THE PROGRAMMING PROVIDES FREE ACCESS TO CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING VINYL CUTTERS, 3D PRINTERS, LASER CUTTERS, SEWING MACHINES, ELECTRONICS, VIRTUAL REALITY, AND AUDIO/VIDEO PRODUCTION, AS WELL AS PROGRAMMING WHICH ENCOMPASSES WEEKLY OPEN-STUDIO SESSIONS AND SPECIALIZED MAKERSPACE WORKSHOPS ENGAGING PATRONS IN MACHINE-LEARNING AND 21ST CENTURY ESSENTIAL SKILL BUILDING. SESSIONS ARE CO-HOSTED BY PVD YOUNG MAKERS INTERNS, YOUTH WHO HAVE BECOME INTEGRAL TO THE PROGRAMS DESIGN AND DIRECTION. SINCE ITS INCEPTION PVD YOUNG MAKERS FACILITATED OVER 17,000 MAKERSPACE VISITS, SERVED 4,500 TOTAL YOUNG MAKERS, TRAINED 45 EDUCATORS AND LIBRARIANS, WORKED WITH 2 CHARTER SCHOOLS AND 4 PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE STEAM EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

GENERAL PROGRAM ALLOCATIONS