On Monday 16 April, YWCA Canberra Clubhouse launched its exhibition of ‘Humans of the Clubhouse’ project at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome, in celebration of National Youth Week 2018. National Youth Week runs from 13-22 April this year, and provides an opportunity to celebrate young people aged 12-25 across Australia.

The Humans of the Clubhouse project showcases Clubhouse members, as well as the community of people who support them. The project is based on the ‘Humans of New York’ project, and includes portraits of and quotes from Clubhouse members, staff, and mentors, celebrating the unique skills and attributes that each of them bring to the program.

Together, with the Clubhouse Coordinator, members developed interview questions and interviewed each other, staff, and mentors, with the aim of capturing the uniqueness of all. From these interviews, key sentences were highlighted to  highlight each person’s distinctive story. From these interviews, members learnt not only more about others, but they also learnt about themselves and developed key skills in personal reflection.

Photography was the other component of this project. After studying different portrait photography styles, members took portrait photographs of the people featured in the project. Members learnt about portrait photography utilising the two DSLR cameras available at the Clubhouse, and specially explored different camera settings, the rule of thirds, how to focus, and understanding depth of field. As a result, members are now engaged, interested, and confident in  photography and using a professional camera.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, Clubhouse members and their families, young people engaged in YWCA Canberra Youth Engagement programs, YWCA Canberra staff and their family and friends, attended the launch event on Monday evening. The Clubhouse Coordinator, Annie gave a speech that spoke to the inspiration and process of the project, and highlighted the achievements of Clubhouse members this term. Annie thanked members for their dedication to learning throughout the term and their continued excitement and enthusiasm to produce more projects like The Humans of the Clubhouse throughout the year.

The Humans of the Clubhouse project is being exhibited in the Tuggeranong Hyperdome from 16 to 30 April, and will then be relocated to its permanent position at the Clubhouse, located in Richardson. YWCA Canberra Clubhouse would like to make special mention and thanks to Tuggeranong Hyperdome for the use of the space. As a philanthropic program, the YWCA Canberra Clubhouse thrives with support from the community to help young people access these opportunities.

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