Can ‘Makers’ introduce a culture of innovation in Turkey?

I previously wrote the two paragraphs below about the Makers Movement in Turkey:

“The Maker movement seems to have been initiated in Turkey, too. There are a couple of ateliers, maker-spaces and hacker-spaces around the country where makers and hackers (hackers modify things to work differently) gather to ‘make something.’ They sometimes do this for some purpose, while at other times they don’t really care if it will have a real use and just make it anyway!

“Maker Fairs are the biggest events of this movement, where the makers present their products to the public. The first Maker Fair in Istanbul will take place on Nov. 12-13 during Turkcell’s Technology Summit. More information on the Maker movement in Turkey can be found on www.makersturkiye.com, which is currently the one and only Maker portal in the country.”

The Maker movement is growing each and every day. It is spreading throughout Turkey. On March 3 it will have its Ankara fair.

Meanwhile, a number of educational institutions have really embraced the idea of DIY and being a Maker. Many high schools and universities have Maker-like activities in their curriculums, or in their student clubs.

A fine example of this is the Darüşşafaka Robotics Team. This team has already won several prizes, and it will be pursuing one more at The First (“Foundation For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”) Robotics Competition in the United States next month. Their robot for the competition is designed for recycling, and you can find more information at http://dackarobot.wix.com/dackarobot.

It is inspiring to see the kind of works that such local institutions are conducting in Turkey. They give all of us hope for a better future.

The innovation culture in Turkey is not as strong as it should be, considering the country’s extremely young population.

The main reason for this is the lack of understanding, lack of cooperation, lack of kindness, lack of team spirit, lack of gentle competition and lack of creative problem-solving skills.

Being a “Maker” is not just about building stuff on your own. It requires a life philosophy that embraces everything I wrote above and more. It is not just about building a robot, it is about thinking about the future of the world and doing your share with a group of your peers.

I hope that the Maker movement will spread to every corner of Turkey and bring a culture of teamwork and innovation to our youngsters.