FUTURE FOUNDERS MAKER FELLOWSHIP (FFMF) IS A PRODUCT DESIGN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM, FOCUSING ON SKILL-BUILDING, TEAM-BUILDING, AND MENTORING. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE SUPPORT AND CONNECTIONS THAT UNDERSCORE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, MENTORING, AND ACTIVITIES IN A CULTURALLY RELEVANT ENVIRONMENT, AND CONVENE AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK (2-HOUR PER SESSION). WE START BY LISTENING TO YOUTHS’ ASPIRATIONS SO THAT AT THE END OF THE FINAL SESSIONS, EACH GROUP OR AN INDIVIDUAL GETS TO CREATE A UNIQUE PERSONAL PROJECT. YOUTHS LEARN TO DESIGN, DEVELOP, AND DEPLOY AS TEAMS, CREATING THEIR OWN FUTURE, INCLUDING SUSTAINABLE AND SMART TRANSPORTATIONS, BUILDINGS, AND EVENTUALLY, CITIES. AS THE YOUTHS ITERATE THEIR PROTOTYPES, TACKLE DESIGN CHALLENGES, AND DEVELOP THEIR SOLUTIONS, THEY ARE TRANSFORMED FROM ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS TO ADEPT PRODUCT DESIGN ENTREPRENEURS.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE DESIGN PROTOTYPE THAT FFMF PARTICIPANTS HAVE CREATED, TEAM LYN HAS CREATED THIS CABLE CAR PROTOTYPE CALLED MAI-LYN
