US Embassy promotes culture of innovation among Sri Lankan youth with upcoming Maker Fair

Saturday, 19 October 2019 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The US Embassy will bring together young inventors and innovators from across Sri Lanka at its second Maker Fair, which will be held on 20 October at Trace Expert City.

This engineering-centred exhibition is free of charge and open to visitors of all ages. It will include innovation workshops for youth and panel discussions led by leading tech experts and academics. The Maker Fair will also feature, with the support of the Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka’s largest-ever robot battle.

“We’re extremely excited to be able to showcase this robo-battle at the Maker Fair,” said Makerspace facilitator Ranjan Kulatunaga. “This platform helps inspire more Sri Lankan youth to pursue careers in technology and innovation.” US Embassy Public Affairs Officer David McGuire explained that the Maker Fair was one aspect of Makerspace, noting that “anyone can sign up for our Makerspace programs at our American Center in Colombo and our corners in Kandy, Jaffna and Matara. They’re designed to encourage and cultivate innovation.”

The US Embassy launched its Makerspace program at the American Center in October 2016 to provide technology and resources that foster innovation and solve problems. The result was an outpouring of interest. Sri Lankan youth, educators and business leaders recognised the tremendous value of the initiative. With such a positive response, the US Embassy held the island’s first-ever Maker Fair in Kandy in December 2018.

Much like Sri Lanka’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, the maker culture has grown and this year’s fair will showcase over 65 innovators and their inventions.

The American Center in Colombo, along with the American Corners in Jaffna, Kandy and Matara, offers regular programs for youth on entrepreneurship, leadership, English language training, social media, 3D printing, coding and much more. Programs are free and open to everyone. For more information visit @AmCenterSL on Facebook for more information.

Entrance to the Maker Fair is free and will run from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on 20 October.