AS MORE young people move to the cities for a better life, so living space becomes difficult to find.
This is why Red Bull, the energy drink brand, believes technology is key to efficient, accessible and friendly cities. This idea is at the heart of its Red Bull Basement social innovation programme to create better living spaces.
To start technological change, Red Bull Basement’s idea developed around the hacker residency or “maker space”, with free workshops, monthly lectures, and a special festival at the end of the two-month programme.
The maker space setup guides and develops innovative ideas from scratch.
A core part of the programme is the hatch events. Hatch events are a public pipeline into basement’s maker space. It is an open day where people can see what’s going for themselves and find applications to join.
The next residency will operate over two months – 1 September to 31 October – in Joburg.
Those people selected for the residency get access to a state-of-the-art maker space. The maker space includes classes and mentorship sessions over the two-month period.
A range of technology experts, professionals, thinkers and mentors shall be on hand to give guidance to each project.
The fields they cover include entrepreneurship, design and hardware.
In order to take part, each applicant needs to present a project that is already in the early stages of production.
The project can be submitted as a blueprint or drafted plan, pictures, 3D models, pieces of code or even a working prototype.
The Basement Programme is a launchpad for Red Bull’s entrance into the cutting edge technology scene.
The company is using its brand to expand and grow the emerging maker community while establishing themselves as a brand that aligns with people who develop ideas and apply them to cities and communities in Mzansi but also the rest of the world.
For more information visit the Red Bull Basement website on www.redbullbasement.com.br/en/
