Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Case Study 4: ClubZora: An International Network
The ClubZora project began in November of 2007 in collaboration with The Intel
Computer Clubhouse Network (
http://www.computerclubhouse.org/
), whose mis-
sion is “to provide a creative and safe after-school learning environment where
young people from underserved communities work with adult mentors to explore
their own ideas, develop skills, and build confidence in themselves through the use
of technology” (
http://www.computerclubhouse.org/about1.htm
).
Began in 1993, as a collaboration between the Computer Museum (now the
Boston Museum of Science) and the MIT Media Lab, the Clubhouses serve youth
between the ages of 10 and 18. Each Clubhouse has a paid coordinator and vol-
unteer adult mentors who share their experiences and serve as role models. There
are currently over 100 Clubhouses around the world, serving over 20,000 youth.
Some Clubhouse locations are stand-alone buildings while others are located within
community-based organizations, such as YMCAs or Boys and Girls Clubs; some
are urban, and some are rural. Thus, they attract a wide variety of youth from many
different backgrounds and experiences. Though the members are all part of this
organization, there is little opportunity for them to interact with members from other
cities or countries or to build community.
The two main goals of ClubZora were (1) to provide a virtual space for Computer
Clubhouse members around the world to build a strong community and (2) to help
youth from different cultures learn about each other. During the project, participants
created almost 52,000 objects, recorded over 35,000 lines of chat, and logged in over
9,800 times. For example, a two-story fully decorated personal house by an 18-year-
old citizen from Guadalajara, Mexico; a multistory replica of her Clubhouse by a
17-year-old participant from Colombia; “Area 34,” a multihouse compound for the
“Commander” created by several members of a Clubhouse in California; a com-
plex maze system by a Clubhouse Coordinator in Columbia; and a pyramid with an
internal meeting room, made by a Clubhouse Mentor from Costa Rica. In addition,
a special “Teen Summit” space was created to celebrate the organization's bi-yearly
gathering of youth and Coordinators in Boston, MA. For this space, the metaphor
was an “International Film Festival” where each region served by the Clubhouses
had their own house in which to display videos created by the Clubhouse members
for the Teen Summit.
(1)
Curriculum
. The curriculum designed for the project was based on the goals
of the project—to encourage a community of users and to explore issues
of diversity. Using existing classroom social studies curriculums and based
on our work in other settings, we designed a set of activities for ClubZora
around the theme of culture. In addition, these activities were designed to
facilitate interaction amongst ClubZora citizens as members of the Clubhouse
Network. Example topics at the beginning of the project included Music,
Country, Zora Entertainment Center, Faith/Beliefs, Holiday Celebrations,
Values Dictionary, “Heroes & Villains,” “Myself & Technology,” Art Museum,
School/Academics, Sports, “Language & Communication,” Vacation, and
