Enthusiasm, passion and the committed participation of so many great people - this is what made the 2010 Computer Clubhouse Annual Showcase an event to be proud of.
21st Century Learning
The Clubhouse members, aged 8 upwards, demonstrated the best in 21st Century education and proved how important it is to give young people a voice. It's simple: create an environment for them to learn based on their interest and they'll work hard. Give them the support of expert volunteer mentors and they'll find their hook. Provide industry standard equipment and software and they'll aim for the stars.
This Year's Theme - 'Pick & Mix'
The projects on display for this showcase were based on a Pick & Mix theme which meant our young members were able to work across a spectrum of activities including personal development (Clubhouse 2 College/Career), STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths), music and film production, new media design, cross border and global collaboration and 3D projects.
Guest Speakers
Once our guests had a chance to meet the members, sample their projects and network with one another, we had the formal presentation. Jade Osborne was our compère for the day and performed her task with professionalism and energy. Gary McDarby, of the Clubhouse Advisory Group, spoke passionately about the need for all decision makers within industry and Government to support innovative projects such as the Computer Clubhouse coupled with the imperative to move our education system into the 21st century. Finally Minister Conor Lenihan engaged cheerfully with the crowd, deftly interacting with the heckling youngsters who shouted things like "are you the Minister of England or Scotland", to which the Minister replied "Now it's like being on Primetime".
But it was Glen Byrne, one of our young mentors, who summed up the spirit of the day, delivering an incredible speech that would rival Barack Obama. I'll leave you with his words.
He said "This is the 21st Century reformation. I hope this is the point in our history when people can look back and see real change, when we finally learn from our mistakes. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience".
by Ciaran McGuinness
