The opening of a new dedicated programming space in west Charlotte is a collaborative effort that was built to fit the missions of three local nonprofits.
Innovation Alley officially opened its doors on Nov. 12. It's a 3,000-square-foot programming space that is shared by Digi-Bridge, She Built This City and Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte. The Lowe's Foundation has agreed to fund the space for three years and has contributed $300,000 to the initiative.
Innovation Alley is housed at Hygge Coworking's Jay Street location and provides a shared workshop, classroom and inventory space that Alyssa Sharpe, chief executive officer of Digi-Bridge, said allows the three organizations to continue their missions in STEAM education, construction career training and community home repairs.
"We realized that while we're all doing our own individual missions, there's this magic in being collaborative," she said. "We're now thinking about programming that doesn't currently exist elsewhere and is a hybrid of all our organizations."
The space is outfitted with a workshop and maker space, 3D print lab, tool wall and a virtual studio.
She Built This City aims to empower young girls, teens and women wanting to enter the industry with construction trade skills. Rebuilding Together is built on a mission to mobilize community volunteers to provide home repairs that make living spaces safer and healthier.
Digi-Bridge works closely with Title I schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district to give students access to STEAM education. Sharpe said the programming at Innovation Alley will encompass each mission.
"We serve grades kindergarten through eight in our own programs ... But Innovation Alley is a space for everyone," she said. "With schools being shut down, we have to do everything virtually, but this space gives us a safe place to do programming safely and in small numbers, so kids are getting those hands-on experiences they're craving."
Sharpe said signups are open now for a robotics program that will begin in December. She said they're also looking at community partnerships that would eventually allow for free programming for students who qualify.
"Young students ... have an innate curiosity to science and technology, and we have to capture those minds very early so when they grow older they already know they're good at it," she said. "Because they're exposed to so many topics, they can choose a track that aligns with their interests, and we're able to grow the STEM workforce."
