January is a quiet month for some, but we’re all systems go at the YWCA Computer Clubhouse! After receiving ten copies of Adobe Photoshop Elements late last year, digital imaging has been the flavour of the month here at the Clubhouse. A favourite starter project for our members has been to add pictures of animals to local scenery. To do this, members have taken photographs using our own digital cameras, and have then used layering, masking, and colouring techniques within the software. Other members have been developing their skills in Scratch programming, SketchUp, Sculptris, Arduino programming, and building interactive objects with our LittleBits kit. One project currently under development is an Arduino controlled bench top coffee maker! This works by combining sensors, an Arduino board, and a program to monitor and control the temperature of the water much more effectively than the machine itself, providing a nicer coffee.

In other exiciting news, we’re absolutely thrilled to have recently received a year long subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud through the Adobe Youth Voices program. Adobe Youth Voices provides young people with the skills, technology and inspiration needed to make creative media works on issues that are important to them. Creativity is a core component in Adobe’s business, and they believe that they have a corporate responsibility to inspire youth and help communities thrive. The program is in its  ninth year now, having engaged over 190,000 youth from 60 countries. The Adobe Youth Voices program has shown positive results for youth including increased skill levels in digital media, collaboration, persistence, self expression, ideation and flexibility, or what they refer to as creative confidence. Every year all participants in the Adobe Youth Voices program submit their work to an online community where anyone can view it and vote for their favourite work. Winning projects of the Adobe Youth Voices Awards receive prizes ranging from software and hardware to exhibitions at international film festivals. We’re very excited to be part of Adobe Youth Voices here at the Clubhouse!

Lach Howarth, the Computer Clubhouse Coordinator, has also been out and about running lunchtime drop in sessions at some of the local high schools. There are drop in sessions coming up for Lanyon High School, Calwell High School and Caroline Chisholm Senior Campus. So if you see Lach at one of those schools, you should go say hi and find out what the Computer Clubhouse is all about. Overall it’s looking like a very exciting year ahead for the Clubhouse and we hope to see you here!

An image one of our members, Brock, created using photographs he’d taken, stock images, and Photoshop Elements. (Click to see full resolution)