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ThinkRevolutionist: Project H

Planting the seeds of creativity
June 10, 2016

For signs of springtime growth, look no further than Project H’s recent eight-week spring camp, Camp H Maker Mash-Up, where girls ages 9-13 were challenged to develop their critical thinking skills while building intricately designed projects in multiple media.

These weren’t your everyday camp crafts. Think instead architectural marvels: a laser-etched wood wall tile that required the use of a coping saw, a sander, and a laser cutter – and was designed using Adobe Illustrator. A planter box MIG-welded, filed, and engraved. A lockpicking mission in which the girls had to pick multiple locks using a series of picks and rakes.

All of the projects pushed the girls in creative new directions – and pushed the idea of what many people think girls can do. And for those who believe camp needs campfires and s’mores, don’t worry. The girls also had to construct a wooden catapult using a miter saw, drill, driver, hammer, and, of course, the accuracy and skills to launch marshmallows into vats of hot chocolate.

A toolbox for the modern world

Today’s powerful thinkers and doers need to be equally converse with both analog and digital tools. That’s why Project H’s definition of hardware includes hammers and Lenovo workstations. For the wood wall tile, the girls used the ThinkPad P50 to create their initial designs using Adobe Illustrator. When it was time to turn the 3D models into physical objects, they used the ThinkStation P500 to power the laser etching machine. From the keyboard to the coping saw, there’s no tool that these girls can’t handle to realize their vision.

 

“I truly feel that architecture should be centered around humans, it should improve life, and it should bring people together.”— Emily Pilloton, Project H Founder