From South Auckland to Silicon Valley!

From South Auckland to Silicon Valley!

Computer Clubhouse 274 in Otara, Manukau City will once again be part of technology history when two of its members join 80 other young people selected from around the globe to attend the Adobe Youth Voices Summit, a first-of-its-kind global youth digital technology convention at Stanford University in California later this month.

Lole Lolesio, a 17 years old Senior at Tangaroa College and Ofoi Tamumoelau, 15, from Te Whanau O Tupuranga, have been selected based upon their advance skills with digital media, as well as their ability to share the knowledge they will attain at the summit.

The Computer Clubhouse is the only New Zealand site chosen by Adobe to receive the prestigious Adobe Youth Voices sponsorship and support. Kane Milne, Coordinator of Clubhouse 274, reports that Adobe has provided the project with sponsorship over two years valued at $133,420.00 in grants, equipment, costs of attending the summit, and Adobe software licenses.

“This means young people from Otara now have access to the very latest 21st century digital media technology. We see youth as young as 10 years old demonstrating phenomenal skills in digital design, music and video production, all on software that is currently used in the global industry, thus providing them a head start for future learning and careers”, reports Milne.

The Summit, hosted by the Adobe Foundation, July 30-August 1, 2009, is a three-day digital media immersion event for specially selected international youth (ages 14-19) and educators from around the world. They will participate in creative workshops focused on all aspects of digital media, including filmmaking, photography, animation and design, all led by top industry professionals.

The Summit is designed to empower youth to create media for social change and foster a deeper sense of social and civic engagement. Participants will create projects focused on social and political topics of personal interest.

Lole and Ofoi plan to take full advantage of this unique opportunity.

“I will be able to pick up on skills from other people’s digital stories and see different aspects of their culture and societies. It will challenge me to see how I view our society here in New Zealand,” says Lole.

Ofoi says, “It will help me to help others to use media to voice their concerns and ideas in our own ways.”

ENDS

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