If we haven’t made it clear already, DIYode is all about community. We are a registered non-profit incorporation with a mandate to support community arts, lower income families, other local non-profits, and the Guelph maker community as a whole. Here’s how we help:
Financial support:
Although a regular group membership is $90/month, we offer special discount rates to students and homeschooling families. If you are over 65, the membership rate is ‘$60/month’. If you still can’t afford a membership, talk to us, and we’ll work something out. Fully sponsored memberships are available.
Supporting Local Families
In addition to our open workshops, DIYode also holds regular ‘Fix-it Fridays’. At these events, members of the community can bring in anything broken, and for $5, we’ll try and fix it. Recently, we’ve resurrected a dead lawnmower, a cycle exercise machine, a floor lamp, an electric mobility scooter, and a cappuccino maker. If you ignore the complete lack of guarantees, it’s the best value out there.
Supporting Local Arts
In May, 2011, we hosted a week-long art project by NY artist Mary Mattingly, as part of Musagetes 1Mile2 project. We provided the space and tools for her to lead a group of volunteers in creating an inspired portable survival pod, to be shown at the 2011 Nuite Blanche. Other local artists are currently using the space to create whimsical sculptures for the 2011 Santa Claus parade.
Supporting Small Businesses
Hackerspaces and Community workshops are emerging as a valuable source of innovation for small business, and DIYode is no exception. One DIYode member uses the space for manufacturing vermicomposters for sale. Another has built innovative satellite dish mounts for northern logging camps, and is continuing to refine his design with the help other DIYode members. When one member’s company server went down in an electric storm, other members came together to rebuild the machine from parts in the shop, and got it up and running again within hours.
As our list of available tools grows, we will be better and better placed to be an incubator for innovative new ideas in the Guelph community.
Supporting Kids
Many of our members are parents to young children, and this drives our efforts to get kids away from video games and TV, and doing things with their hands. If you can teach them young to love building things, then they’ll carry that throughout their whole lives.
One of Diyode’s most popular efforts has been our rocket launcher. This is a bicycle pump powered launcher that we take around to park parties, scout troops and other community events. Kids are shown how to build a simple paper and masking tape rocket, which they can then launch 300 ft into the air. We have even combined this with the ever-popular piñata, firing rockets at one suspended 40ft in the air!