The Tools for Change residency focuses on empowering women and people of diverse genders to use the tools at MakerLabs in a comfortable and supportive environment to make almost anything.

Residency Details

Length of residency: 2 months

No. of residents per month: Max 4

Cost of residency: $600 + tax*

Included in residency:

  • MakerLabs Extended Hours Membership (2 months)

  • Dedicated studio space and various stains, sprays, and polyurethanes, sponsored by Rust-oleum

  • 4 tool orientations:

  • WoodLab 101

  • LaserLab 101

  • CNC Router 101

  • 1 elective class of the resident’s choosing*

  • Platform to share/exhibit work

  • MakerLabs Guidance & Support to help execute your project ideas

*Residents are responsible for the costs of any consumables used in their projects (ie. wood, acrylic, glue, sandpaper, etc.)

Expectations:

Month 1:

  • Create projects that use the tools within MakerLabs

  • Documentation - Introductory blog post, and weekly Instagram posts (at minimum)


Month 2:

  • Become mentors for the next cohort and meet up on a weekly basis

  • Continue work on personal projects

  • Documentation - Mid-way through and end of residency blog posts, and weekly Instagram posts (at minimum)

  • Create a summary of your body of work produced and lessons learned to be shared on MakerLabs’ social media platforms by the end of the residency.

  • In collaboration with cohort, organize monthly Tools For Change Showcase and Meetup to showcase and celebrate your cohort’s achievements and projects.

Register Now!

Registration is currently running on a first-come, first-served basis.

Residency Commitment

This residency is subsidized and includes four classes, early access to the building, studio space, and support. In return we require the following from our residents:

Residents must be at MakerLabs a minimum of 15 hours a week to be committed to the program. This includes class time, time spent meeting with mentors / mentees, and time spent working on projects.

Residents must be at MakerLabs for all classes on Monday evenings from 6pm to 9pm or 10pm during the first month. If there is a holiday Monday, a class may be moved to the Tuesday of that week instead. Class lengths vary depending on the class. All other hours are flexible but we encourage working in groups and meeting up with your mentor / mentee on a weekly basis.

Residents must document their experiences and work completed during the residency. This includes posting on the Tools for Change Instagram account at least once a week.  We also require three posts on our blog over the duration of the residency (one introductory post, one mid-way through post, and one post upon completion of the program).

Residents will be required to put together a written summary with photos that summarizes their body of work produced and lessons learned throughout the residency, to be shared on MakerLabs' social media platforms.

Residents will have the opportunity to have their work showcased and celebrated at the monthly Tools For Change Showcase and Meetup. Residents will be expected to organize and promote this event in collaboration with their cohort. This final celebration of your residency allows you to show off your work and uplift your peers, and is your responsibility to plan and execute with MakerLabs staff support.

Accommodation and travel
This must be arranged by the resident. 

Project legacy

  • All intellectual property will remain in possession of the residents

  • Anything built here is the property of the resident. If you want to leave the project at MakerLabs after the residency is over you will have to pay for storage.

  • Any documentation will be shared by MakerLabs through our website/social media etc

*Elective class can be chosen from MakerLabs’ Safety & Orientation classes. For those choosing to take Ceramics 102, MIG Welding & Metal Fabrication 101, TIG Welding 101, Metal Lathe 101, or CNC Metal Milling 101, as their elective, they will receive $120 credit towards these classes, and the remaining balance must be paid for by the residents.

About the Instructors

Lesley Newlands (She / her)

Lesley is a nurse by day and a hobby woodworker on days off. She's obsessed with woodcraft and will talk your ears off about woodwork, projects, tools and tree species. She's currently building functional and adorable furniture for her home. She can't help but walk by a furniture store and say "I can make that". Join her and learn how to use tools safely, so you don't have to visit her at her day job.

Instructor For: WoodLab 101
Instagram: @melliferadesign

Rachel Lytzki (she/her)

Rachel completed the Tools for Change program in 2020 and stuck around at MakerLabs to work mainly on 'projects used to store the supplies to make more projects'. She enjoys keeping her options open and refuses to become anything more than competent at any one skill. Rachel enjoys teaching laser cutting because who doesn't want to cut things with lasers? Nobody.

Instructor For: LaserLab 101,
Instagram: @crafty_rach

Thanh Nguyen (she/her)

Thanh is a multi-media artist with over a decade of experience in teaching creative technology to students between the ages of 6 and 60 years.

With a degree in Game Art and Design and a specialty with 2D vector graphics, she teaches game design and programming, interactive storytelling and storyboarding, 3D modeling and animation, and 2D digital drawing and animation.

Since 2020, she has been one of MakerLabs' go-to instructors for computer related classes, including 3D Printing 101, CNC Embroidery 101, and 3D Modeling 101. Occasionally stepping in for LaserLab 101, CNC Router 101 and TextileLab 101.

She is available for hire as a private tutor if interested in learning Inkscape or Blender.

When not teaching classes she dabbles in various crafts, journaling, and streaming video games.

Instructor For: CNC Router 101

Instagram: @aria_adm