For more than 20 years, the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services’ technology programs have educated, empowered and engaged young people across Fairfax County through the use of new and emerging technologies. Those efforts were honored at a recent conference of the Clubhouse Network—which provides an international arena for youth to share ideas, projects and to put their technology skills to the test against teens from all over the world—where staff accepted the 2018 Kudos Award for Sustainability and Longevity.

The first of the county’s six Clubhouse Network locations was launched in 1997 at the Gum Springs Community Center. Since then, the program has expanded to six locations countywide and offers students ages 10 through 18 access to a wide variety of programming experiences including VEX Robotics, 3D design and printing, coding, graphic design, virtual reality technology, audio/video recording and editing, and many more.

“The county’s Clubhouse locations were established in underserved areas as a means for challenging, invigorating and engaging the imaginations as well as enhancing the technological literacy of children and teens,” said Dr. Robert O’Quinn, Program Manager. “We are proud to have been a part of this global network for more than 20 years, and we are exceptionally proud of the opportunities, growth and achievement we have witnessed in all of our participants over that time.”

This is the second global recognition the county Clubhouses have received from the Clubhouse Network within the last year. In October, Clubhouse participants were awarded both the Audience Choice and Judges Choice Awards at the 2017 Global RE@CH Media Festival for their video production entitled “Dating Abuse Stops Here!”

For additional information about the Clubhouse Network and all of the technology programming opportunities offered through the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, please visit our website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/technology-programs.

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The Clubhouse Network is a global community for creativity and achievement for kids and teens ages 10 through 18. The organization provides a creative and safe out-of-school learning environment where young people from underserved communities work with adult mentors to explore their own ideas, develop new skills and build confidence in themselves through the use of technology. The Clubhouse Network was created in 1993 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Today, The Clubhouse Network is comprised of 100 Clubhouses in 19 countries and serves more than 25,000 youth each year.