Makers-in-Residence is a program for young people to get them into employability, gain new lifetime skills and to develop on the ones they already have.
In March 2022, 6 young people joined the Makers in Residence program and delivered their first workshop. Millie, Brandon, Isabel, Maddison.
As port of their work placement, they have delivered over 100 hours of events in the space of 7 months, taught more than 150 members of public and received 150 hours of training. On top of all this they know the behind the scenes of funding and marketing that goes into a business.
Millie
Hi I'm Millie I felt nervous at the start but when I was delivering more and more workshops throughout the Makers in Residence program my confidence has gone up, I'm now able to deliver a workshop by herself. Working as a team has helped me open up and be able to talk to others, having a massive impact on my confidence. Now, I'm inspired to start her own business!
Brandon
Hi, I'm Brandon I was one of 6 Makers-in-Residence - a young person on a work placement, learning to lead activities in our pop-up makerspaces. When I first started, I was unsure what I would be doing and was nervous about starting, however after my first few sessions delivering activities, I started to build confidence in my role and grew to really enjoy it. I would definitely recommend the maker-in-residence programme and do it again! Before I started, I was struggling with my leadership skills and would often follow what other people did. But participating in this program I've excelled in this particular skill by pushing himself out of his comfortable zone and offering to lead workshops once I felt confident enough. The library where I delivered workshops gave us excellent feedback, telling Brightbox I would always take care to let them know how the events were going and if they were likely to run over.
Isabel
Hi, I'm Isabel when I first started the Maker-in-Residence program I had a feeling it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable. It was my first-time meeting everyone and I struggle sometimes when meeting new people. However, this soon changed as I got to know the other young people. We all started delivering workshops as a team and helping each other out and I got more comfortable and started leading the workshops by myself. I now feel more confident meeting new people and this opportunity has helped me improve my communication skills, giving me a lifetime skill, which is important in every aspect of life. 
Maddison
Hi, I'm Maddie I joined the Maker-in-Residence programme unsure of exactly what I would be doing. It was my first ever work experience and I didn't know what to expect. However, after working as a team and learning more about what I had to do I managed to be able to do the activities on my own because my skills and confidence went up which meant I was comfortable to start delivering on my own. This helped me grow my independence and help me do things on my own. This is a great skill to have especially for me because during this program I have been offered an engineering apprenticeship and now I'm taking this forward and having more confidence in myself and independence will make me great at my future job and have success in that job role.
Eva
Hi, I'm Eva I was one of the Makers-in-Residence and an apprentice at Brightbox. It took me a while to settle in and to understand what is expected from me because it’s an innovative training programme and I wasn't used to having agency over the type of work/training I do in that way. I've were given a lot of freedom and power to lead. However, I'm grateful for the support because it has been given me lots of opportunities to develop my practice through external and internal support and encouraged to go outside my comfort zone. I even won the Josh Award. I went from being a bid and proposal apprentice to wanting to be a Lead Community Makerspace Coordinator because the Makers-in-Residence program gave me the opportunity, I found this is where my passion lies and what my skills are suited. I like seeing the children happy and excited during and after the workshop. 
Adrianna
Hi, I'm Adrianna I started an apprenticeship and joined the Makers-in-Residence program. At the beginning I felt nervous because I didn’t know anyone as I joined one month later than the other young people. But when we all started working as a team my confidence has started building up because I got to work with others and start talking and sharing ideas with everyone. I also started delivering workshops in libraries which also helped my confidence improve. I was pushed out of my comfort zone a lot, but it helped me think more on the spot and build my decision-making skills. The skills I've learnt can help me in the future, as I want to get into university. These skills are basic life skills that can help me on a day-to-day basis with simple tasks and more challenging ones as well. 
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