$200,000 OTF Grant from the Province creates welcoming environment for summer campers at Ampere Makerspace

WARD ALSOP Marketing Manager, Ampere

KAWARTHA LAKES: MPP Laurie Scott recently had the chance to speak with the team at Ampere, about the impact of a $200,000 Capital grant it received, in 2024, from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The grant was used to purchase and install flooring and lighting at Ampere’s new Makerspace. The facility, more than triple the size of Ampere’s old Makerspace, is now welcoming its first groups of summer campers.

“It’s exciting to see the Ontario Trillium Foundation invest this $200,000 in Ampere Association’s headquarters/makerspace renovation,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “This funding will help expand access to vital digital skills and technology services, helping to empower the people of Kawartha Lakes to take part in the growing STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) economy.”

The new Makerspace is designed and conceived to function as a learning space for people of all ages and also as a community hub for events and gatherings of all types. The lighting and flooring are key elements of those objectives and are fundamental to creating a warm, welcoming space where community members of all ages can thrive.

“This grant helped us create a warm environment that’s welcoming to all, but also flexible, and able to adapt to unique learner or group needs,” said Ryan Oliver, Ampere’s CEO. “Everything has been chosen intentionally, from floors which consider young learners and robot wheels, to lighting zones which create warm, natural light, while offering flexibility to accommodate specific event or participant needs.”

Ampere’s 4,500 square foot Lindsay Makerspace is already known for summer camps, School visits, drop-ins and community events, but the organization has also launched a new Makerspace in Bathurst, New Brunswick, in addition to others owned or operated in partnership with community organizations from Iqaluit to Curve Lake.

For over a decade, Ampere (formerly the Pinnguaq Association) has partnered with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to provide access to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education and opportunities. Founded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ampere applies a Lifecycle approach, to ensure it supports learners at every age and every stage of life. Ampere offers programming directly through Makerspaces in Iqaluit, Nunavut, New Brunswick and in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, and works directly with community partners, social organizations, governmental funders and educational institutions, from coast to coast to coast.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested nearly $105M into 732 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.