The UCL-led Making Spaces project worked with practitioners and young people from makerspaces in five countries to identify, develop and share equitable approaches that can support diverse young people to engage meaningfully with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Makerspaces are collaborative facilities where people can work together to create or invent projects. They are exciting places with huge potential to support STEM-rich innovation and foster the skills needed to address key societal challenges. However, relatively few makerspaces work in sustained ways with young people from under-represented and marginalised communities. This is a lost opportunity, because equitable and inclusive makerspaces can benefit everyone.

The 3-STEP (3 Steps Towards Equitable Practice) Approach helps informal STEM learning practitioners to make equity a reality. It builds on extensive research and development work, conducted over four years with makerspaces from five countries, in which makerspace practitioners, youth co-researchers and UCL academics worked together to co-produce the new approach and resources.
The 3-STEP Guidebook builds understanding of the issues and explains the three steps (Prepare-Do-Evaluate) that practitioners can take to develop more equitable and inclusive practice, providing practical case studies and exercises to help practitioners to put the ideas into practice. The team have also launched a free, online, professional development course to help enhance understanding and application of equitable practice.
Over four years, the team iteratively developed and trialled the approach, collecting extensive qualitative and quantitative data to understand its impact on youth and makerspace practitioner outcomes. Pre- and post- data showed positive outcomes for all involved, with practitioners, organisations and most importantly – young people all reporting significant benefits as a result of participating in programmes that used the approach.
For example, 93% of young people reported increased confidence in their job skills and felt more prepared for their future, whilst 96% of practitioners felt more confident to design equitable youth programmes.
At an organisational level, 83% of practitioners reported that their makerspaces had improved the inclusion of diverse staff and 72% reported an increase in the number of diverse young participants taking part in their courses and programmes.
The new 3-STEP resources were launched in London on 18 June 2024, at an event attended by key figures across the makerspace and STEM sector.
The team are hosting a free webinar on 25 July 2024 - Making a difference: the 3-STEP approach for equitable makerspaces - which will provide practical tips on how to best utilise the resources, plus a Q&A with the research team.
Related links:
- Online Guidebook: Towards equitable makerspaces: A guide to the 3-STEP approach
- Online professional development course: A Three-Step Guide to Equitable Makerspaces
- Making Spaces project
- STEM Participation and Social Justice Research
- Professor Louise Archer's UCL profile
- Dr Meghna Nag Chowdhuri's UCL profile
- Dr Qian Liu's UCL profile
- Dr Jennifer DeWit's UCL profile
- Ms Esme Freedman's UCL profile
Images
Top: The Making Spaces project team at the 18 June 2024 launch event.
Bottom: The 3-STEP approach poster resource at the launch event.
Both photos by Yolanda Hadjidemetriou.