Ahead of the President’s visit to SXSW on Friday, today the White House announced the 2016 National Week of Making on June 17-23. This is the third major Nation of Makers event following the first-ever White House Maker Faire in 2014.
In 
addition to a public National Maker Faire, June 18-19 in DC, plenty of other events are being wrapped up in this celebration of hacking, tinkering, learning hands-on skills, and general DIY geekery. The White House is encouraging other events across the nation during the week to spread the love.
The Week of Making announcement also launched the U.S. Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Makeover Challenge. $200,000 in prize money is up for grabs as encouragement to create more “makerspaces” in American high schools where students have the tools, space, and mentors to design, build, and innovate.
Full announcement here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/09/fact-sheet-white-house-announces-doubling-techhire-communities-and-new
More on the Nation of Makers: https://www.whitehouse.gov/nation-of-makers
Info on the National Maker Faire: http://makerfaire.com/national/
The President’s Weekly Address on March 6 discussed innovation, his trip to SXSW, and why the nation needs to support makers and geeks. Honestly, it feels good to have the President validating what most of us have known for a while 😉
