Ideas Made Real.

An evening maker studio for teenagers aged 11–14. No curriculum. No pre-set projects. Your teen walks in with an idea and, over four weeks, turns it into something that actually exists.

Brooklyn · Wednesday evenings · Next cohort: Fall 2026

Sign up

How it works

Four weeks.
Idea to finished project.

Your teenager submits their idea when they sign up. Over four sessions, we shape it, build it, refine it, and present it. Every project is different. Every project is theirs.

Week 1

01

Shape the idea

We take their raw idea and turn it into a concrete project plan. What’s the achievable version? What needs to happen each week? They leave with a project brief and something already started—however rough.

Week 2

02

Build the first version

The longest making session. Three hours of deep work with hands-on guidance. By the end, a rough first version exists. Ugly, incomplete, but structurally real.

Week 3

03

Refine and test

Move from “does it exist?” to “is it good?” Other participants test each other’s projects. Feedback, iteration, polish. This is where craft matters.

Week 4

04

Demo Night

Each teenager presents their finished project to family, friends, and the group. Not a school presentation—a real showcase. You’re invited.

What makes this different

This isn’t art class.
It isn’t coding camp.

  • Other programs Start with a tool and teach it: painting, coding, 3D printing Side Quest Starts with your teenager’s idea and figures out what tools it needs
  • Other programs Everyone makes the same thing following the same instructions Side Quest Every project is different because every teenager’s idea is different
  • Other programs The output is practice—a skill exercise with no audience Side Quest The output is real—a finished thing presented to an audience that matters

It starts as something in your teenager’s head and ends as something in their hands.

A board game A campaign poster A website A product prototype A video A pitch deck Signage for a lemonade stand A zine Whatever the idea demands

Who it’s for

Teenagers with ideas.

Side Quest is for teenagers who have ideas—about things they want to make, problems they want to solve, or projects they want to bring to life—and haven’t found a place that takes those ideas seriously.

They don’t need to be “artsy” or “techy.” They need to be curious and willing to try.

Ages 11–14 All experience levels Max 10 per cohort

Schedule

Four weeks. One evening a week.

Duration4 weeks, once per week
DayWednesday evenings
Time5:30 PM – 8:30 PM (3 hours)
LocationBrooklyn (exact address shared upon registration)
Cohort sizeMaximum 10 teenagers
Demo NightSession 4 — family and friends invited

Investment

One price. Everything included.

Free
One-day workshop in April
  • One 3-hour session
  • Idea to rough prototype
  • Snacks & materials
Sign up for April
$750
for the four-week cohort
  • Four sessions
  • All materials
  • Snacks each evening
  • Demo Night event
Sign up for Fall

Sibling discount available — get in touch

Your teenager’s facilitator

Sascha Mombartz

Sascha is a designer, strategist, and educator based in New York. He has spent the last 15 years helping entrepreneurs, inventors, and subject matter experts turn complex ideas into things people can see, use, and understand—from early-stage biotech startups to global brands to participatory art projects experienced by thousands.


He has worked with The New York Times, Google Creative Lab, and Nestlé, and runs Office for Visual Affairs, a design consultancy specializing in strategy, branding, and prototyping for startups. He teaches interaction design and social innovation at the School of Visual Arts and co-created the Community Canvas, a framework for building communities that has been translated into 15+ languages and used by over 200,000 people worldwide.


At Side Quest, Sascha brings the same process he uses with founders and organizations to teenagers: listen to the idea, find the achievable version, and guide the messy, rewarding work of making it real. The only difference is the client is 13 and the deadline is four weeks.

Common questions

What you might wonder.

What if my teen doesn’t have an idea yet?
That’s rare but fine. The sign-up form has prompts to help them find one. And Session 1 is designed to shape vague instincts into concrete plans. “I don’t know, maybe something about animals?” is a perfectly good starting point.
Is this like a makerspace or STEM program?
No. Makerspaces start with tools (3D printers, laser cutters). STEM programs start with technology (coding, robotics). Side Quest starts with your teenager’s idea. We use whatever tools the project needs—which might be markers and poster board, or a laptop, or cardboard and tape.
What if their project is too ambitious?
That’s great! Part of Session 1 is scoping—finding the version of the idea that’s exciting and achievable in four weeks. A teenager who wants to “make an app” will leave Session 1 with a plan to build a clickable prototype with five screens and a pitch deck. Still ambitious. Actually doable.
What does my teenager leave with?
A finished project they made themselves, a one-page project brief documenting their process, and the experience of having taken an idea from “I want to” to “I did.”
What’s my role as a parent?
Be available when your teen asks for help between sessions—a ride to the art supply store, a question to think through at dinner. Resist the urge to steer. They’ll figure it out in the sessions. What they need at home is someone who’s interested, not someone who’s managing. And come to Demo Night.
Can my 15-year-old join?
We’re exploring a 15–18 track. Sign up for updates and we’ll let you know when it launches.