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.
Sign up
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.
Sign upHow it works
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
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
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
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
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
It starts as something in your teenager’s head and ends as something in their hands.
Who it’s for
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.
Schedule
| Duration | 4 weeks, once per week |
| Day | Wednesday evenings |
| Time | 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM (3 hours) |
| Location | Brooklyn (exact address shared upon registration) |
| Cohort size | Maximum of 5 tweens and teenagers, ages 11 to 14 |
| Demo Night | Session 4 — family and friends invited |
Sign Up
Sibling discount available — get in touch
Your facilitators
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.
Mary is a drama therapist, licensed creative arts therapist, and dog mom based in Brooklyn. She has spent the last five years working in NYC’s public hospital system and in private practice, helping people get unstuck, work through life’s transitions, and find new ways to express what’s hard to put into words.
She holds an MA from New York University and is trained in a range of therapeutic and creative approaches. She works with individuals and couples, integrating music, movement, acting, and visual art into her sessions—meeting each person through whatever mode of expression comes most naturally to them.
Common questions
We'll reach out when registrations open.
Signing you up…
You’re on the list!
We’ll be in touch when registrations open.