We are very pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the North Forge Indigenous Youth Scholarship for 2019/2020 – Christopher Kematch and Gregory Meconse. 

The scholarship was created to provide two young people between the ages of 18–24 access to the North Forge Fabrication Lab at no cost and give them the opportunity to learn from our in-house mentors for one year.  Training courses at North Forge will assist the scholarship recipients in learning new skills such as CAD, Corel Draw, CNC, laser cutting, woodworking, electronics and 3D printing. 

Christopher Kematch was one of our scholarship recipients last year and made approximately 24 prototypes during his time at the Fab Lab. His scholarship was extended for a second year so he can refine his prototypes and focus more on launching his business. “The renewal has taken some stress off my mind as now I’m not being pushed to a deadline anymore. The plan is the same, to continue making more designs and slowly build a catalogue of items for sale,” says Kematch. You can read more about Christopher and the ways he’s utilizing his scholarship here. 

Gregory Meconse is a 23-year-old student at the University of Winnipeg with placement employment at Stony Mountain Penitentiary. He is working on a number of projects including soccer camps and fitness training for indigenous youth. Gregory is planning on making use of the mentors and training at the Fabrication Lab to build awards for the participants in his programs. 

“When a diverse group of members come together, new ideas are formed,” says Marney Stapley. “At North Forge, we believe in having positive role models within the Fabrication Lab through mentorship for our community and economy. I really look forward to seeing how these two young men can continue to work on their projects and learn new skills.”