Today, Maria talks with Rachel Uwa, the founder of the School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe, a uniquely curated school born in Berlin, Germany that provides one-of-a-kind learning experiences in the areas of art, technology, design, and human connection. After Rachel switched majors a few times and travelled to New York City from Germany for a new learning experience, she realized that she wanted to build her own company and give people access to technology and resources to enable them to create work that represents who they are and what they care about. At the School of Machines, they believe that we are all lifelong learners who enjoy learning and playing with tools that make our brains and dreams come to life! They embrace art, creativity, the latest technology and themselves with openness, humility, and curiosity. They want their students to leave their programs not only equipped with technical and hands-on tools and skill sets but also critically-minded and deeply engaged with their surroundings and with themselves. Tune in to learn from a lifelong learner and entrepreneur who created her own school to enable us to envision, design and build a better future we can believe in.
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find Rachel Uwa:
School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe
Rachel Uwa on LinkedIn
School of Machines’ Online Programs
Mentioned in this episode:
The School for Poetic Computation
Tools for Reimagining Better Worlds through Cooperation Program
Listen to this episode and explore:
How Rache's painful childhood led her to develop a great sense of empathy (3:26)
Switching majors a few times in University to follow her interests (6:42)
Taking a break to explore learning in coding and technology (9:38)
What Rachel learnt about herself during this exploration time (13:13)
Founding the School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe(14:35)
Who the School of Machines is for (18:19)
How Rachel designs and creates new programs and workshops (19:48)
What the programs entail (24:52)
The importance of the facilitator role in a workshop (27:28)
Finding instructors with the right expertise and skill set (29:14)
Offering students feedback on their projects (31:08)
Case Study: Tools for Reimagining Better Worlds Through Cooperation (33:10)
The impact of COVID-19 on the School of Machines (35:58)
How Rachel explores making the workshops more collaborative for students amid new reality (38:50)
The challenge of reaching more people and spreading the work (41:23)
The one thing Rachel wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime (44:13)
Maria's takeaways and call-to-action (46:59)