This report into young people's digital contributions was conducted by Nesta who are an innovation charity with a mission to help people and organisations bring great ideas to life.
They are dedicated to supporting ideas that can help improve lives, with activities ranging from early–stage investment to in–depth research and practical programmes.
This report explores the emerging field of digital making for young people in the UK. Based upon research Nesta has carried out, it charts the organisations providing opportunities for young people to make things with technology; looks at how these opportunities relate to what young people learn in school; and explores the attitudes of young people, parents and teachers towards digital making.
For most young people digital technology is an everyday part of life. Many are avid consumers of digital media. However, they often don’t understand how to manipulate the underlying technology, let alone how to create it for themselves.
As technology shapes our world, young people need to be able to shape it too. As skills and work become increasingly technologically mediated, the need for digital skills is paramount with some calculating a potential £2 billion loss to the UK economy from unfilled roles requiring such skills.
What is digital making?
Digital skills, digital literacies, digital creativity; there are many terms used by different people in different ways in this area. Since 2012, Nesta and others have been emphasising digital making as distinct from simply using digital devices, and as the best way of understanding how technology works. Their work to date has focused on helping young people to ‘look under the hood’ of technology while they are making.
From programming entirely on a computer to designing and 3D printing physical objects, digital making represents a diverse range of activities. It doesn’t include checking emails or browsing a website.
It isn’t the array of making activities young people take part in without technology (worthwhile that they are). Between the technical and the creative is an intersection where young people make useful projects while learning about technology.
The Digital Makers report helps professionals and parents to support young people and seek out look at the opportunities for Digital Making.
