The idea
D-Lab East will provide life changing opportunities for local businesses, freelancers, creatives, and young people in Newham.
We’re fundraising to establish a new creative hub for everyone who wants to work, make, and learn on their doorstep.
With full funding, as soon as next Spring you’ll be able to:
* Launch or grow your business with affordable desk rental and access to industry mentors and regional support networks.
*Innovate and experiment in a fully equipped makerspace including VR/AR, laser cutters, and industrial robotics.
*Discover new skills with our creative technology workshops.
*Support our outreach programs with local schools, community groups and the wider East London Community.
We’ve secured the site, but now we need your help to make it one of the best equipped in the country so we can give everyone in Newham the opportunity to discover digital skills for the emerging creative economy.
Invest in the future of your community and make a pledge today!
What we'll deliver
- Affordable desk rental for local creative freelancers and start-ups.
- A fully equipped community-powered maker space with cutting edge equipment available to all.
- Educational programs covering architecture, programming, graphic design, robotics, and more.
- An outreach program encouraging school children to explore emerging creative, digital, and STE(A)M careers.
- Mentorship, support, and networking for new businesses.
- Kids’ clubs, employment assistance, mentoring, and more.
- All the equipment we buy stays in the Community because we are a Community Interest Company and the assets are locked.
Why it's a great idea
The creative economy is growing fast but opportunity in this emerging sector is hard to come by, and usually takes a fair bit of financial commitment. As a group of architects, designers, and technologists, we’ve been lucky enough to draw the long straws and now we want to support people who need a helping hand in these challenging industries.
D-Lab is unlike any other co-working environment or makerspace. We’re a community interest company, meaning that profits from our desk rentals and memberships are returned into the community - enabling us to run innovative outreach programs curated and taught by our own versatile pool of industry leaders and members.
With D-Lab East we’ll be able to support local business, freelancers, and young people with the space, tools, training, and opportunities they need to become local leaders in the creative sector.
Help us make it happen - make a pledge, spread the word, and come and have a chat with us about how we can help the creative community.
Steps to get it done
- Buy all machines and make space operational
- Get a pop-up space to showcase D_Lab East offering in order to get community feedback
- Run open inductions for the community to enable open access
- Start running educational programmes for local community & schools
Until Spring, D-Lab Pop-Up will be open in Mirabelle Gardens - East Village, providing digital workshops and events and serving up tea to anyone who would like to come down and chat about the project and how we can best serve the local community. For more details check out the website and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
