On Tuesday 22 November, we launched our third YWCA Canberra Clubhouse Impact Report at a celebratory event, with generous grant funding from Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week.

The launch was a fantastic opportunity to thank our partners for their contributions and acknowledge the fantastic outcomes that the Clubhouse has helped our Members to achieve.

We were joined by representatives from our Clubhouse partner organisations including Richardson Primary School, the Snow Foundation, Microsoft Australia, and Dimension Data, as well as some of our Clubhouse members, supporters and friends.

Clubhouse Members had the chance to showcase some of their favourite skills and projects to the partners that had given them the opportunity to access the required technology, tuition and support that has helped them develop their skills. This gave our partners and guest the opportunity to see firsthand how their contributions empower Clubhouse Members to become more capable, creative, and confident learners.

We were lucky enough to hear from our Executive Director, Frances Crimmins, Nicole Agius, executive teacher from Richardson Primary School, Georgina Byron from the Snow Foundation and Hala Batainah from Microsoft Australia. The support of these cross-sector partnerships, and the support of the global Clubhouse Network, we have demonstrated the difference that we can make to the lives of hundreds of young people in the Tuggeranong community.

We also heard from Clubhouse member Emily, who talked about her own time at the Clubhouse and the impact it has had on her. Emily talked about her favourite activities at the Clubhouse include watercolour painting, photography and video, and composing and editing music. When she finishes college, Emily said she would like to study zoology, engineering, or join the police force. Attending the BiG Day In IT career conference with the Clubhouse was a big influence on Emily’s interest to go on to do further study in an engineering field.

Guests then had the chance to engage with the members and received a tour of the Clubhouse. Some of our partners sat down with Clubhouse Member, Ryan, to answer a few questions.

The Clubhouse relies on corporate and philanthropic funding to maintain the space, provide the technology and other supplies, and to support the operational requirements of the program. We’ve worked hard to build a network of partners combining industry, government and philanthropic organisations, and together we’ve created a vibrant, inclusive space that has grown beyond our imagination.

Through the generosity of our supporters, we have seen the Clubhouse go from strength to strength since its inception in 2014.

We are grateful for the support of all of our partners, past and present for their contributions to the Clubhouse, which is the first in the ACT, the third in Australia (though there are now four!), and one of 100 Clubhouses in 19 countries across the world.

To download a copy of the 2017 Clubhouse Impact report, or find out how you can get involved, visit our website. You can find all the photos from the event via our Flickr photo album.

Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week runs from 20-26 November, and is an initiative supported by the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, and managed by Philanthropy Australia in partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.