Creator: Gage Mele
My artifact is a short reflection on The Clubhouse Network. I discuss what goes on at The Clubhouse, and why I consider it to be a very special place.
Each time I go to The Clubhouse, I’m met with smiling faces working dedicatedly on projects. Some faces are new to me, some I know, but all are enjoying the work they’re doing. Some are on computers creating designs, some are working at the pottery wheel, a few take to the workbench or Legos, and there’s always a large group working in the recording studio. This is The Clubhouse; a place where kids can go and create whatever they want with the resources provided to them. It’s extremely impressive to see young people show up with an idea in their head, and immediately go to work on a project. The other week I was working on a photography project at The Clubhouse when two kids came in and started working on a song together. At some point one of the boys made a joke and they both laughed about it for a second before one of them said, “all right, enough messing around, back to work,” and they both turned their full attention to the song they were working on. At one point some of their friends came in and they all sat at a table together and worked on songs of their own. One of the kids even started working on cover art for the song they were planning on recording. As soon as they came into The Clubhouse they started working, and when I left for the night, they were still hard at work.
The kids at The Clubhouse are extremely hardworking, and dedicated to their individual crafts, but they also don’t only stick to their craft. One of the most amazing things about The Clubhouse is how willing everyone is to teach and learn from others. That may not sound like such an amazing feat, but the cool part is that it truly is EVERYONE. Even the most senior volunteers learn from the kids who go to The Clubhouse. For example, if I have questions about the music mixing software, I would ask one of the kids who uses the software, since they honestly know it better than anyone else, even seasoned volunteers.
The Clubhouse is more than just a place where kids go after school to mess around before they go home, it’s a creative safe haven, where kids can work on their own projects in their own time. No one will ever tell anyone else at The Clubhouse what they ‘should’ be doing. Instead you’ll hear a lot of people saying “Whatcha workin on” “Oh that’s nice, did you make that?” or “Could you show me how to use this?” People at The Clubhouse aren’t interested in telling you what to do, they’re interested in what you want to do, and that’s what truly sets them apart from everywhere else.