Maya Bird-Murphy
Architecture & Social Entrepreneur
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Company: Website | Instagram | Twitter
Chicago, IL
While she is passionate about many things, Maya is currently pursuing her passion for social and community-based design and activism. She founded a nonprofit called Chicago Mobile Makers, which connects Chicago communities to design education. Chicago Mobile Makers offers free and low-cost youth workshops encompassing design, architecture, digital fabrication, basic construction, and place-making. Maya believes this is important because of the lack of diversity in the design fields, “Our world must be designed by, and for, all”. Chicago Mobile Makers was highlighted in the May issue of Fast Company Magazine for being a "World Changing Idea."
Chicago Mobile Makers asks students to look at their own communities and design positive change. Through CMM, Maya’s goal is to empower young people to feel that they have agency over their lives and their futures. She hopes to create the next generation of civic-minded and socially responsible designers, builders and makers.