In May of 2024, Fishers, Indiana’s Maker Playground hosted Indiana FFA teams for a first-of-its-kind Make48 competition. Make48 is a 48-hour competition where teams are tasked with accomplishing a themed project, including building a prototype, creating a sales sheet, producing a one-minute marketing video and pitching their ideas to a panel of judges. Make48 currently runs the competition in six cities, but its organizers are hoping to get more FFA chapters involved with agricultural projects in 2025.
“This event has been very successful. There are pilot programs we did here in Indiana and the Make48 folks have opened it up to all FFA members across the country,” says National FFA Organization program specialist William Waidelich. “That announcement is coming out soon for the 2025 season, so there will be an opportunity for any FFA member and chapters around the country to participate locally, which is more important. The event is held so they can conduct the first round of events at their local school and don’t have to travel someplace.”
The educational and personal growth opportunities that stem from Make48 are vast; it’s a great opportunity for students to get out of their comfort zones while also learning impactful skills that will serve them well into the future, such as how to think creatively to complete a project and how to work together as a team to achieve a goal. The Make48 process is very innovative and creative, Waidelich says. “A lot of the things they learn are ways to become more creative in explaining themselves. They have only 48 hours to create their project, and they don’t know what it is until they start. So if you’re going to prepare for the contest, some of the things you need to do is be more creative, get some innovative ideas ahead of time, and just be ready to have fun.”
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