Developing the digital makers of the future

Digital technologies touch almost every aspect of life and business – but relatively few people create them; most people just use them. We want to mobilise a generation of young people with the drive, confidence and know-how to make new technology – whether websites, apps, hardware, games or brand new innovations.

How are we doing this?

In 2012, Nesta and Nominet Trust in partnership with Mozilla launched the Digital Makers Fund to support innovators with bright ideas for significantly increasing the number of young people who participate in digital making.

This call is now closed. Successful applicants will be announced Spring 2013.

The £225,000* fund will support projects which will equip young people (ages 4-18) with the skills they need to become confident digital contributors and makers.

Whether it’s teaching digital making skills in new ways, driving participation from new groups of users or helping young people to create new digital products, the fund aims to support organisations that want to take digital making to the next level.

This fund will support projects that appeal to young people directly and hopes to encourage different venues for learning – this could be online or at home, clubs, work, play, camps, school, shopping centres, sporting events or gigs.

There are many examples of digital skills learning already in action. From easy to use programming languages and environments like Scratch, to organisations like Young Rewired State and Apps for Good focus their efforts supporting young people to be digital makers in and outside of formal learning environments.

Promoting digital skills on a national scale

The new fund is part of a wider ‘Digital Makers’ programme, also led by Nesta, Nominet Trust and Mozilla to promote digital making skills to young people across the UK. The investors hope that the fund will help expand the reach of the programme and open up the opportunities to new partners and audiences.

Working together with partners from across the sector, including, O2 Think Big, Apps for Good, Coding Club grassroot groups, educators and many more, we are leading a mission to inspire a generation of young people to be creators (not just consumers) of digital technologies.

Together will launch a nationwide, youth-focused campaign to drive the demand for digital making skills among young people and give information on how to participate.

Watch this space for updates on the progress of our consortium and campaign.

For details about the fund, please visit: www.nesta.org.uk/digitalmakersfund