“When we picked [our son] up, he greeted us beaming and said, ‘That was the best! I am going back there tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day.’” These are the words of a thankful parent whose boy’s interest has been piqued and imagination set in motion by the robot-building classes at Brooklyn Robot Foundry.
Since 2011, Jenny Young has run Brooklyn Robot Foundry, Benchmark client and fellow woman-owned business. They offer STEAM classes for children, and sometimes adults, all over the country from its base in Brooklyn, NY. The goal of the Robot Foundry is to share the fun of STEAM learning with children everywhere and inspire them to continue a life full of exploration, problem-solving, and imagination.
For the pandemic, they drastically re-tooled their workshops to be exclusively online. They run 6-8 classes every weekday (4 on Fridays). Recently they opened a location in Gowanus.
When a budding “Nikola Tesla” opens the home kit of robo-construction supplies for their next building class, they build along with a team of kids and families in Brooklyn and sprinkled throughout the world. Just in case they can’t puzzle out the solution, a printed card gives troubleshooting instructions.
These classes are important for youngsters, especially when women are working only 28% of the STEM jobs in the US (according to the National Girls Collaborative Project). These workshops could become a lifelong invitation to meet the world hands-on, instead of passively digesting it through screen-time.
In July, Brooklyn Robot Foundry made a big launch – they now have franchising opportunities. And if that weren’t enough, they’re also running a competition to award one deserving winner with a fee-free franchise. Too often the financial hurdles to open a small business stop those who would like take on the challenge. They are removing that barrier for a future franchisee by waiving the winner’s fees for the first year.
Benchmark has printed instruction inserts, window clings, posters, gift cards, and more for Brooklyn Robot Foundry.
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