It only takes one person to change someone’s life and that’s what we’re trying to do with the Naenae Clubhouse. There are three Clubhouses in New Zealand, including one in nearby Taita. The concept was started in Boston, US, as a way of providing under-served communities with access to computers and technology. There’s now a network of 100 Clubhouses in 19 countries.
The Naenae Clubhouse has been going for around five years. I started as Clubhouse Co-ordinator a year ago, and it’s pretty much my dream job, not only because Naenae is where I live with my partner Andrew and my two kids, Tane (7) and Kahu (3), but also because Clubhouse provides such a valuable service in this community. We run from 3.00-6.30pm every weekday. Clubhouse is all about tapping into the students’ interests and building creative skills through those interests. When kids are interested, their motivation is greatest, so we’re all about encouraging those interests in a safe environment.
Lily, who lives locally with her husband and their sons, Kahu (left) and Tane, says working at the Clubhouse is a “privilege” and her “dream job”.
We have around 150 people aged 10 to 18 years old on our books, but usually get 30-40 at one session. Many of them are from Maori and Pacific Island backgrounds, and many are living in state-assisted housing. Clubhouse is a great way of keeping kids off the streets and engaging them to learn and explore. We ask them what they are interested in, what things they’re doing at school, and go from there. Students can do everything from gaming and coding to robotics and 3D printing. We also offer sewing lessons and some of them are making their own clothes. One of my three staff is a musician, who also teaches the guitar and helps run probably our most popular attraction, the recording studio. It’s where students can write and record their own demos. In fact, one of our girls recently worked with a well known local musician to write and record her own track.
Lily with Ben Pomare, one of the students who will attend a summit in Boston with her in July.
We’re funded by Hutt City Libraries and a key part of Clubhouse is sharing healthy food every day. We bake with the kids and teach them how to cook dishes such as pasta and soup. We sometimes give them food to take home because a lot of them might be going to a home where access to fresh, healthy food isn’t available.
We love having guests in to talk to the kids about what they do. Bret McKenzie, from Flight of the Conchords, recently came in and demonstrated how to write a song and record it. The students loved him. A key part of what we do is to show them that they have options. Some of the kids will say to me, ’I’m going to be a cleaner when I grow up because my mum and dad are cleaners.’ We want to show them they can pursue whatever careers they want.
A recent success story was a former student who developed a love for computers through us and is now studying computer science at university. I’m not creative myself, but I’m good at organising others to be creative. This job brings together all the things I’ve done in my life – I’m a teacher, have run art galleries and community centres, worked as a publicist and journalist, and have spent years DJing.
Every second July, Clubhouses from all over the world get to send up to three students to Boston for an international summit and workshops. This year, I’m taking two of our long-standing students, Ben and Michael, to Boston and we’re really looking forward to networking with other kids.
Music is my passion and I’m always recommending cool music to the students. If money was no object, I’d have my own recording label and spend my days producing cool musicians. But as that doesn’t seem likely, I’m happy doing this.
There’s no greater feeling in the world than helping young people find their passion and their place in the world. I’m pretty privileged to be doing what I’m doing.”
