Mad Scientist Lab Opens Today For West Auckland Kids
It’s a High Tech Youth Studio that is loud, busy, and lacking crowd control but the perfect environment to excite and
engage young Henderson South youth to become the next generation of digital innovators and creative 21st century
thinkers.
Studio MPHS is the latest of six “out-of-school” centres affiliated to the growing New Zealand and Pacific wide High
Tech Youth Network that is enthusing young people, aged 10-25 years of age in underserved communities, to establish
digital careers and higher learning pathways.
Three things that make investment into this project a no brainer report’s Mike Usmar, CEO of the regional Network;
1. Young people are early adopters of technology – they go from zero to amazing, faster than what most schools can cope
with now days.
2. Technology creates new frontiers of engagement in learning, it doesn’t discriminate whether you come from a decile 1
school or decile 10, youth with the right mentoring can potentially all be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
3. The “High Tech” sector now sits as the third highest export earner for the country, now worth over seven billion
dollars; “make no mistake if we are not all proactively working towards growing that talent pipeline today – we could
well miss tomorrows opportunity to radically impact the prosperity of this country”, says Usmar.
Studio MPHS is operated by MPHS Inc. a community not-for-profit organisation, the Studio has been supported by the
Governments Digital Literacy and Connection initiative championed both by the Prime Minister and Minister Jo Goodhew –
creating a unique partnership approach between Government, including local Government via Auckland Council Economic
Development, corporate sponsors including Microsoft, HP and the Adobe corporation and private donors including the ASB
Community Trust, Auckland Communities Foundation and Sky City Foundation.
Studio MPHS will be officially opened today at 4.00pm by the CEO of ATEED Mr Brett O’Riley.
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