Communautique

Background

Communautique was founded in 1999 with the goal of bridging the “digital divide” that isolates people who, lacking access to information technology, are able to fully participate in the economic and social life of the community. It provides technology and teaching to 85 local and regional organizations, which in turn deliver workshops annually to 10,000 people from low-income, handicapped, elderly or homeless communities.

Full Description

A grant from the Foundation will help support Communautique in establishing a Fab Lab community of practice, mentoring new sites, and providing advanced training for Fab Lab practitioners. A Fab Lab is a technical prototyping workshop for innovation and invention, comprising off-the-shelf, industrial-grade fabrication and electronic tools. Founded on principles of collaboration, open data, and public participation, the Fab Lab movement seeks to ensure that technical breakthroughs are guided by a commitment to community development through social innovation.