Press releases
Makerspace Expands!
On October 23, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. in Almaty, the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosenblum and Managing Director for Chevron’s Eurasian Business Unit Derek Magness will participate in a ceremony of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extension between the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Kazakhstan and Chevron on the “Makerspace Expands!” program.
The program aims to provide Kazakh youth access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education and training resources through a network of Makerspaces - collaborative workspaces where audiences learn by making, exploring, and sharing ideas - across Kazakhstan. The network currently includes Makerspaces in Almaty, Astana, Aktobe, Oskemen, Oral, and Pavlodar.
The “Makerspace Expands!” program was launched in 2020 and since then, three fully equipped Makerspaces have been opened and the remaining three already in operation have been upgraded. Makerspaces benefit thousands of Kazakh youth each year, providing them access to modern high-tech equipment, expert-led courses, and mentoring free of charge. In the past year alone, nearly 16,000 Kazakh youths have taken advantage of “Makerspace Expands!”. The MOU extension signing will mark the parties’ intention to bolster the number of the Makerspaces and their countrywide reach for at least another three years.
Makerspaces offer regular courses and workshops in development of in-demand applied skills in programming, robotics, 3D modeling, visual content creation, and beyond. They engage high school and university students, as well as young professionals looking to broaden their skillsets, improve their educational and career prospects, and join a community of like-minded peers.
The broader “Makerspace Expands!” program is not limited to the development of technical skills. The programming promotes creativity, artistic expression, and supports the strengthening of creative industries in Kazakhstan. These have included the “Egin” project by Eurasian Cultural Alliance, “Top 10 Kazakh Films” by MC2 O(ner), the Annual Almaty Writing Residencies by Open Literary School of Almaty, the “Urbanitarium” school program by Urban Forum Kazakhstan, a U.S.-Kazakhstan artisan exchange and a cultural heritage preservation project by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Heritage, and more.
The ceremony will be a significant milestone in the U.S. Mission-Chevron partnership and joint investment in the development of Kazakhstan’s human capital. It will take place at the American Space & Makerspace Almaty at 280 Baizakov street (SmArt.Point, ground floor), Almaty.