Designing for resourcefulness in a community-based makerspace

This chapter examines how resourcefulness is embedded and evolves in the space and is internalized and expressed by individuals and the community. It shifts the makerspace discussion to an analytic view of practices and meanings in the space and to ensure that, as youth gain access to more of the spaces, the emphasis on materials, tools, and skills doesn’t eclipse the potential for individual and community development. Mount Elliott is a community-based space founded in 2010 and located in a church basement in an east side Detroit neighborhood. The chapter focuses on Mount Elliott Makerspace, drawing from multiple interviews with the founder, Jeff Sturges, over a 3-year period, Web-based documentation of participation in the space, and observations and interviews with youth and adult participants in the space and at community events. An ethos of resourcefulness is central to the cultural model of Mount Elliott Makerspace, supporting in its participants inner resources like innovative vision and persistence.