On the Innovation Stage at Maker Faire, you can hear about the Young Makers program at 6pm Saturday.

How can we give more kids the opportunity to make things and bring them to exhibit at Maker Faire? That was the question asked first by Tony DeRose of Pixar, who realized how much he and his family enjoyed working on a project and exhibiting it at Maker Faire and wanted to help provide a similar opportunity for others. In collaboration with Tony and the Exploratorium, we’ve organized the Young Makers program, starting first in the Bay Area in 2010. This year is the second year for Young Makers, which introduced the idea of local “Maker Clubs.” These clubs meet at schools or in a parent-run garage or workshop. This year, we had 20 clubs with about 100 young makers and 50 adult volunteers participating. There will be 40 project teams exhibiting at Maker Faire.

The Young Makers are exhibiting their amazing projects in the Expo Hall, and you can see much more on the Young Makers site, where you can see archives of projects, and find out how to support your local youth and start a local chapter.