Sarah and her family arrived in Australiain 2001 from Afghanistan and the Fitzroy Learning Network was one of the first organisations to assist the family with accommodation and schooling.

One of the very first members of the Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse when it opened, Sarah says the clubhouse was a great support from the very beginning. “As I was illiterate in my own country due to Taliban not allowing girls to go to school, starting school here in Australia was extremely hard for me both mentally and emotionally. The greatest support they gave me at the Computer Clubhouse was teaching me how to socialise with people, make friends and supported me through all the hard times. In addition they made me feel accepted and belonged in the society even though I could hardly speak English.”

Although Sarah is studying full-time as well as working two jobs, she remains connected to the Fitzroy Learning Network, regularly visiting the clubhouse to talk to younger members about her experiences in VCE and further study. Congratulations Sarah.

The video of the launch is now online! Check it out here. (4th Video)

The exhibition will also be open on Friday 6th November from 3:00-7:00pm.

The Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse has had a very successful past 12 months including:

5 Clubhouse members being accepted into university in 2008. All are from refugee backgrounds. Congratulations Hiba, Sarah, Shakira, Yalda and Zainab!

Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse being chosen the first Adobe Youth Voices site in Australia. Youth created videos and music which were exhibited at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre. Two youth participated in the Adobe Youth Voices Summit in San Francisco, USA with youth from 18 countries around the world.

Visit from director of Intel Computer Clubhouse Network , Gail Breslow. This visit coincided with our “Through Our Eyes” Photography exhibition.

On display will be the work of the members from the last 12 months as well as a “tech(x)pert” presentations by our members who have excelled at certain technology.

We look forward to seeing you there! Please RSVP to tara [at] fitzroylearningnetwork.org.au

Visits to events such as the ELH conference provide members with the experience and confidence to:

• Talk with IT professionals about their skills and their projects that they make at the Computer Clubhouse
• See and test new technology which is exhibited at the conference
• Share their clubhouse projects and receive feedback from professionals
• Practice their discussion skills with people from all different ages and backgrounds

As well as all of these outcomes, it’s also a fantastic day out for many of our members who have only been to the beach a small amount of times and do not often get the opportunity to leave Melbourne for a short break.

Thanks to Computelec for hosting us. Photos below! (press refresh or go to our flickr page to see more)

www.flickr.com fitzroycomputerclubhouse’s ELH Conference in Lorne photoset

This excursion was made possible by a C2C (Clubhouse to Career) grant from the Intel Computer Clubhouse. At the Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse, young people are not only given the opportunity to utilize technology for self-expression, but are also exposed to career and further education opportunities.

Members were interested in fields such as architecture, gamemaking and science. Clubhouse Alumni Hiba who is studying Psychology at RMIT attended to give members a tour of RMIT and talk about her experiences at University.

One of the four guiding principles of the Clubhouse Learning Approach is developing communities, and we are very pleased that our Alumni are willing to continue to contribute to the Clubhouse and act as role models for Clubhouse Members.

Photos below!

www.flickr.com fitzroycomputerclubhouse’s Open Day University Excursion 09 photoset

This induction, the Computer Clubhouse is seeking members for the Steering Committee.

The Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse is a free Design Studio for young people aged 8-18 years old to access out of school hours. The Computer Clubhouse is a place where young people from underserved communities, many from refugee backgrounds, work with adult mentors to explore their own ideas, develop skills and build confidence in themselves through the use of technology.

What makes the clubhouse unique is that young people are encouraged to create, and learn, through the use of technology whilst following their own interests. The Computer Clubhouse complements young people’s education and career goals by providing a safe and creative space for young people to succeed as individuals, but also to practice team work, inclusiveness and leadership skills which assists them in becoming better citizens and community leaders.

The Committee has been formed to support the management team, in meeting the objectives of the clubhouse. Some of these objectives include sustainability of the clubhouse, sourcing career and further education opportunities for clubhouse members and providing our clubhouse members with access to high-end technology.

Steering Committee members would make a commitment to attend bi-monthly meetings (after business hours) and remain up-to-date by visiting the clubhouse in their own time. The benefits to the committee member would include working with underserved communities, empowering youth by widening their career and education choices, a sense of self fulfillment and the opportunity to strengthen an outstanding program.

All people who are interested in joining our committee are encouraged to attend our volunteer induction next Wednesday 15th July at 6:00pm at the Fitzroy Learning Network. The role requires a Police Check and Working With Children’s Check. For those who have questions about this role, please contact the Computer Clubhouse Coordinator, Tara Willersdorf.

The Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse is a program of the Fitzroy Learning Network and is a free design studio for young people aged 8-18 years to access after school hours. A Music studio, video cameras, digital cameras and high end computers with professional software are available for young people from refugee and low socio-economic backgrounds to create what they want according to their own interests at their own pace.

The success of the Clubhouse depends largely on its volunteers, called Clubhouse Mentors. Clubhouse Mentors are adults passionate about working with young people and technology to provide support and encouragement, trouble shooting advice and to be role models and mentors to these young people.

Clubhouse mentors do not need to be experts in technology, but do need to have passion for learning, patience and a sense of humour.

Clubhouse mentors mentor for 3 hours on a weekday, generally between 3:30-6:30pm, once a week. Mentors make an initial 6 month commitment, with the possibility of making it an ongoing position.

As well as giving back to the community in a positive and meaningful way, there are also personal benefits to becoming a Clubhouse Mentor. These include the opportunity to explore one’s own interest in a cutting edge environment (a number of our computers have Adobe CS4), access and experience to an innovative learning model, technical training while mentoring and mentor workshops focusing on working with young people.

The Volunteer induction process includes Induction, Interview, Orientation and Training by Foundation House for working with people from refugee backgrounds, Police Check and Working With Children Check.

Our next induction is Monday 20th April at 6pm at the Fitzroy Learning Network, 198 Napier St, Fitzroy.
For more information and to download the application form please visit - http://www.fitzroylearningnetwork.org.au/Getting%20Involved.html
Please RSVP your attendance to the induction to admin@fitzroylearningnetwork.org.au

If you have any questions or want to know more about mentoring at the Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse, please contact Tara at 03 9417 2897, tara@fitzroylearningnetwork.org.au.

The Exhibition was opened by Richard Wynn MP, member for Richmond and the Minister for Housing, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for Local Government.

Gail Breslow, Director of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network from Boston, USA spoke at the opening and awarded Certificates of Participation to the 12 members who participated in the exhibition.

Photos will be on display at the Fitzroy Learning Network for a couple of weeks as well as online.  Please view our album on flickr, or view a random selection of images below. (Press refresh to see some more pictures, or visit the flickr page). 

www.flickr.com fitzroycomputerclubhouse’s “Through Our Eyes” Exhibition photoset

Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse is hosting an open house to celebrate the photographic work of Clubhouse members.
Where: Fitzroy Learning Network, 198 Napier Street, Fitzroy
When: Saturday the 21st February 2009, 11AM - 1PM

About the Exhibition: “Through Our Eyes” is the visual response of 12 Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse members to the challenge – “photograph Melbourne’s culture”. Participants are aged 8-15 and come from diverse cultural backgrounds including Pakistani, Eritrean, Somali and Afghani. The exhibition will be on display at the Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse on Saturday, 21st February 2009 from 11am. Select images will be displayed at the Fitzroy Learning Network and online at
http://www.fitzroylearningnetwork.org.au/cclub/through-our-eyes
after the exhibition.

Clubhouse has been open for a week now, and we’re already off to a flying start. Some of the projects being worked on at the moment include-

• Lego robotics using NXT  and the older Lego Mindstorms
• Interactive Programming with Picocrickets
• Building a website for youth performance group
• Planning a music video to accompany some tracks produced last year with the Adobe Youth Voices Program. (more news on this soon)
• Photography for our upcoming “Through Our Eyes” photographic exhibition next Saturday

Some new members have started, and we welcome two new volunteer mentors, Claire and Grant to the Clubhouse.

Grant has many interests and we look forward to taking advantage of his musical skills in the music studio as some of the members are interested in recording some raps.

Claire enjoys trying her hand at everything and her first day at the clubhouse involved finding lego pieces for our Clubhouse Members engineering masterpieces.

Gail Breslow, Director of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network at the Museum of Science in Boston, USA is visiting us next week and will be at our exhibition “Through Our Eyes” on Saturday 21st February from 11am.

All members of the community are invited to attend.