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The Innovation Hub will be a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose aim is to cultivate curiosity and innovation through authentic experiences and purposeful exploration. The organization will offer unique and meaningful programming primarily targeted at children ages ten through seventeen, with a secondary audience of adults eighteen and older. The space will be dynamic and constantly evolving to allow new experiences each time a visitor enters its doors. Most activities will be open-ended but fluid throughout the different spaces: exhibit experiences spaces, maker spaces, multi-purpose spaces, and social/ collaborative spaces.

Creative spaces such as Children’s Museums have begun the process of nurturing a hunger for creative and innovative experiences in our youngest citizens. However, there is a void in many communities (ours included) as students grow out of those facilities. The Innovation Hub can meet the needs of tomorrow by providing experiences that help to develop seven necessary skills—Authentic Experiences and Connectivity; Exploration and Engagement; Self-Efficacy and Respect; Technology Literacy; Creativity and Innovation; Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Communication and Collaboration—in a fun and engaging environment, continuing the work begun in Children’s Museums and enhancing the work being done in our schools. Without The Innovation Hub, much of the work started by Children’s Museums will not reach its full potential in our communities.

The Innovation Hub is designed to provide a 21st century workforce that is creative and innovative. Currently, only 5% of U.S. workers are in science and engineering, yet they provide more than 50% of our economic expansion. Nationwide, there will be an estimated 10 million unfilled technical positions by the end of the decade. Businesses today are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this unprecedented economic opportunity. Educators and pre-service teachers also benefit because The Innovation Hub offers students the opportunity to broaden their educational development through co-curricular experiences.

Additionally, The Innovation Hub will be an economic driver in our community. It will attract tourism dollars from visitors throughout central Illinois and beyond, and add to the economy with added wages and tax dollars. In addition to greater economic development within the community, The Innovation Hub produces a more civil society and improves the quality of life by spurring entrepreneurialism and by providing the economic impacts that are generated by starting a small business. The Innovation Hub also stimulates a growth mind-set, which tolerates risk and failure, thereby allowing someone to adapt to and contribute to a world that is constantly changing.