An External Study by Inverness Research March 2016 In October 2015, Inverness Research conducted an online survey of more than 1,300 youth involved at Clubhouses around the world. This summary presents findings with supportive evidence based on the data analysis. MAJOR FINDINGS The Clubhouse offers a supportive environment for youth self-development. Clubhouses provide: a range of opportunities to participate, be creative, and learn a friendly and safe place where youth feel empowered and gain confidence a central role in the lives of many Clubhouse members positive, important relationships between adults and youth, and among youth from different backgrounds and cultures. Clubhouse members are gaining knowledge and acquiring skills in many important domains. Members are: The Clubhouse Network has been providing youth with life-changing opportunities for over 22 years through a global community of 100 Clubhouses located in 19 countries. Each Clubhouse offers a creative and safe out-of-school learning environment where young people from underserved communities work with mentors to explore their own ideas, develop skills, and build confidence through the use of technology. A program of Boston s Museum of Science in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, the Clubhouse Network supports communitybased Clubhouses around the world by providing start-up support, professional development, new technology innovations, evaluation and assessment, access to an online community for youth, mentors, and staff, and more. To learn more, visit www.theclubhousenetwork.org. learning content and gaining skills in science and technology and many other areas building skills that contribute to designing, making, and problem-solving abilities gaining professional, collaboration, and social skills. The Clubhouse experience leads youth to think more positively and more ambitiously about their futures. The Clubhouse: has a positive impact on youth s attitudes about school, about furthering their education, and about studying STEM enhances members desire to contribute and give back to the community. The Clubhouse Network provides a foundation for nearly 100 sites to provide high-quality programs for thousands of young people.
ABOUT CLUBHOUSE MEMBERS WHO ANSWERED THE SURVEY A total of 1,384 youth from 75 Clubhouses and representing 17 countries completed surveys. These youth were identified as having had enough significant and sustained involvement at their Clubhouse to be able to speak to their Clubhouse experience over time. There was wide variation in numbers of youth responding by site. The circles in the map below illustrate the geographical distribution of the Clubhouses around the world, and the size of the bubbles is proportional to the number of surveys submitted from each site. More males responded to the survey (60%) than females (37%). Ages ranged from 6 to 23 years old 1, with a median age of 13. The majority of youth who responded to the survey were over 13 years old. Breakdown of Survey Respondents by Gender and Age 37% 1% 2% Male Female 24% 6-12 years old 40% 13-15 years old 60% Gender Nonconforming Prefer not to answer 36% 16 years old or older 1 Clubhouses primarily serve youth 9-20 years old. However, some Clubhouses have members outside that age range and a very small percentage of them (less than 2%) completed the survey. 2
FINDINGS AND SUPPORTING EVIDENCE The Clubhouse offers a supportive environment for youth self-development. Clubhouses provide a range of opportunities for youth to participate, be creative, and learn. Members go to their Clubhouse for many reasons. Each of the reasons listed below was rated as important or very important by at least 77% of the youth responding to the survey. The three highest rated motivations were: It s a place where I can be creative (89%); It s a place where I can work with cool technology (87%); and It s a safe and happy place to be (86%). It s a place where I can be creative. It s a place where I can work with cool technology. It is a safe and happy place to be. Why Members Go to Their Clubhouse The Computer Clubhouse is a place where I can learn new skills. It s a place where I can work on projects I am interested in. It s a place where I can help other people. It s a place where I can learn from adults. It s a place where I can have positive relationships with adults. It s a place where I can have input into what happens at the Computer Clubhouse. It s a place where I can see my friends. Important Very important It s a place where I can develop new friendships. In members own words 2 : If you come to the Clubhouse, you get to create anything your mind can think of and it s very fun because what Clubhouse is all about is love and being friends, also letting your talent go wild. It s a nice place to help your creativity flow. It helps slingshot hobbies in art and technology to the next level. The Computer Clubhouse has lots of stuff you don t want to miss. Clubhouses provide a friendly and safe place where youth feel empowered and gain confidence. The graph below illustrates how youth describe their Clubhouse as a fun, friendly place to be (95%), where they feel safe (96%), and can be heard (86%). Nine out of ten agree that their Clubhouse experience gives them confidence to explore new ideas and interests. 2 All comments from Clubhouse members are direct quotes. Some have been lightly edited for grammar and spelling. 3
How Members Describe Their Experience at the Clubhouse I feel safe at the Computer Clubhouse. For me the Computer Clubhouse is a fun and friendly place to be. The Computer Clubhouse experience is giving me confidence to explore new ideas and interests. I feel like my opinions are heard at the Computer Clubhouse. I have input into what happens at the Computer Clubhouse. agree strongly agree In members own words: Clubhouse is a cool place where we can make new friends and learn how to use technology and learn new skills. Computer Clubhouse is a place where you can do some projects like work on the computer to do Photoshop and do loads more stuff, and it s a place where everyone keeps you safe and happy. You will learn a lot from Clubhouse. The people in the Clubhouse are all kind and friendly. There are many activities that will help you to learn many things. This is a great environment for all teens with many opportunities for your future and for fun. Clubhouses play a central role in the lives of many Clubhouse members. For many youth, the Clubhouse is an important and major presence in their lives. Most youth go to their Clubhouse at least once a week and half go almost every day. Each time they visit, over a third (35%) stay for more than 3 hours, and almost a quarter (24%) stay for 2 to 3 hours. Almost every day the Computer Clubhouse is open Frequency of Youth Attendance About 1-2 times a week About 1-2 times a month Less than once a month 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Length of Each Clubhouse Visit More than 3 hours Between 2-3 hours Between 1-2 hours About an hour Less than half an hour 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% In members own words: It s very fun in our Computer Clubhouse, for when you have become part of it, you won t feel you re just a member but rather like a part of a family. It is a calm place that has distracted me from my problems and has gotten me away from the stress of school and home. 4
It s a really great friendly place where you can learn to use professional programs to make things you want to create, or you can go to make new friends, play games, or create new things by hand if you wish. It is really fun. It s a place where you can express yourself without judgment. It also has a 3D printer, recording studio, and more! You ll get to know yourself more. Clubhouses provide positive, important relationships between adults and youth, and among youth from different backgrounds and cultures. The Clubhouse is a place where youth feel accepted and supported by adults. They feel accepted by the adults (92%), and say the adults have knowledge and experience that are valuable (91%) and know how to work with youth (91%). For many, the adults are one of the many reasons the members enjoy spending time in the Clubhouse (74%). How Members Describe the Adults at Their Clubhouses I feel that they accept me. I feel like I can trust them. They understand how to work with young people. They have knowledge and experience that I value. They care about me and my well-being. The adults in the Computer Clubhouse help me explore interesting technology. They learn from me and my friends. I feel I can go to them for help with a personal problem. The adults are one of the reasons why I come to the Computer Clubhouse. agree strongly agree In members own words: You should come to the Computer Clubhouse. It s awesome and especially the counselors help you when you re in need. It is the place I just get to be myself. They make you feel right at home. In an increasingly diverse world, the Clubhouse offers youth an opportunity to better understand people of differing backgrounds. As a result of their Clubhouse experience: 86% of members feel they have the opportunity to develop friendships with young people from other parts of the world. 84% of members have a better understanding of people from different backgrounds. 5
In members own words: Every day in Clubhouse I meet new and very interesting people. The Teen Summit was the greatest experience I ever had in my life! I was able to communicate and collaborate with people from all over the world! This trip made me discover so many realizations and I appreciate the beautiful things in life. Meeting diverse people and getting to know their culture is something I will cherish forever. I am indebted to the Teen Summit for giving me this amazing experience. Clubhouse members are gaining knowledge and acquiring skills in many important domains. Clubhouse members are learning content and gaining skills in science and technology and many other areas. The Clubhouse offers a wide range of experiences for youth to build their knowledge and skills. In addition to the many activities related to science and technology (e.g., engineering, coding, robotics), there are opportunities to learn and increase their abilities in other areas: writing, arts and crafts, photography, etc. The majority of youth say their experience at the Clubhouse has contributed to their knowledge and skills in all of these areas. Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Skills and Knowledge Arts and Crafts (painting, drawing, sculpture) Graphic Design (digital art, illustration) Photography Video and Animation Audio (music, beats, sound effects, podcasts) Coding (building web pages, programming apps) 3D (creating a 3-dimensional design, object or image) Engineering (construction or design to solve a problem) Robotics (designing and building objects that do tasks) Writing (stories, poetry, spoken word, lyrics, journalism, Other * helped me learn a little bit about this helped me become good at this helped me become really good at this In members own words: The best place to learn new skills. If you are interested in STEM, this is the place to be. The Computer Clubhouse is a great place to develop new and awesome skills, and at the same time you meet up with new people and you get to have a lot of fun. 6
I think you should come because it gives you a chance to learn about things you don t get to at school. In addition, in areas that are often stereotyped by gender and traditionally characterized by a gender gap robotics, engineering, and coding the data show almost no gap between girls and boys at the Clubhouse. Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Skills and Knowledge Gender Comparison 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Coding (building web pages, or programming apps, interactive games ) Engineering (hands-on construction or designs to solve a problem ) Robotics (designing and building objects that do tasks) 66% 63% 62% 57% 60% 55% boys girls NOTE: Percentages represent combined responses of helped me learn a little bit about this, helped me become good at this, and helped me become really good at this. Technical skills and technological proficiency are becoming essentials in the modern workplace, and the Clubhouse provides opportunities for members to gain hands-on experiences with cool technology that inspires and engages them. An overwhelming majority of Clubhouse members report that they have learned to use more technology (91%), are more confident using technology (88%), and use technology more often (84%) as a result of their Clubhouse experience. Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Technical Skills I've learned how to use more technology. I better understand how to use technology to make my own projects I am more confident using technology. Agree Strongly Agree I use technology more often. I am better at trouble shooting technology problems. In members own words: Computer Clubhouse is an awesome technology or programming place for kids to learn about computers. I would tell my friend that coming to the Clubhouse center is a very awesome and great experience for learning technology and computer processing. I have learned so much from the Clubhouse center that I could spread my knowledge about computer technology to others. 7
Again, the responses are remarkably similar when broken out by gender. Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Technical Skills Gender Comparison I've learned how to use more technology. I better understand how to use technology to make my own projects I am more confident using technology. I use technology more often. I am better at trouble shooting technology problems. 70% 89% 92% 88% 92% 86% 90% 83% 87% 80% Boys Girls NOTE: Percentages represent combined responses of agree and strongly agree. CONTEXT: Computer Science is taught in only 1 of 4 high schools in the U.S. Clubhouse members are building skills that contribute to designing, making, and problem-solving abilities. Making 3 is an important element in many of the Clubhouses. Members report that they have gained a variety of skills related to making as a result of their Clubhouse experience. A large majority of youth agree with the following statements: I have more skills to design, make, or create projects. (89%) I have more ways to express myself creatively using a variety of media. (88%) I have more skills to help others make things. (87%) I am better at following a project through from start to finish, making changes along the way to make it better. (88%) Problem solving, persistence, and passion are key to being successful in school and the workplace. The Clubhouse provides opportunities for members to develop and expand on these attributes. Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Problem-Solving Skills I am more able to pursue things that interest me, learning new skills along the way. I am getting better at solving hard problems. www.tealsk12.org I am learning to experiment, try things out, and solve problems through trial and error. I know that if I stick with something long enough I can usually solve the problems I run into. When I have a new problem, I am now more confident that I can solve it. I now enjoy the challenge of trying to solve a hard problem. Agree Strongly Agree 3 Making activities involving do-it-yourself (DIY) crafting, 3D design, robotics, coding, electronics, experimentation, invention, and more. 8
Clubhouse members are gaining professional, collaboration, and social skills. The Clubhouse contributes to youth learning a range of professional and life skills including managing their time, communicating, finding resources and information, behaving in a professional manner, and asking for help when they need it. It s important to note that almost three-fourths of members (72%) report that they make better choices in their lives as a result of their Clubhouse experience. Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Professional and Social Skills Request help from others when you need it. Make better choices in your life (friends, family, school, etc.). Design, make and create something based on an idea you came up with. Behave in a professional manner (dress well, arrive on time, be prepared) Explain your ideas and thinking to others. Some A lot Know more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math related fields and careers. Find resources and information to support the development of your ideas. Learn how to communicate to different audiences. Learn how to manage your time to work on projects and make deadlines. In addition, the Clubhouse experience helps youth improve their collaboration skills as well as their ability to work independently. More than 80% of members agree with the following statements: Contribution of the Clubhouse to Members Collaboration Skills I am better able to get along with the other young people I am working with. I am more comfortable working together with other young people on projects. I am better at contributing to and learning from a group. agree strongly agree I am better at helping organize a group to work on a project. I am better at working on my own to find ways to solve the problems I encounter. 9
The Clubhouse experience leads youth to think more positively and more ambitiously about their futures. The Clubhouse has a positive impact on youth s attitudes about school, about furthering their education, and about studying STEM. Attitudes about School A large majority of members care more about doing well in school (91%), try harder at school (90%), and feel like they are more successful in school (85%) because of the Clubhouse. Interestingly, almost three-quarters (71%) said that they like school more because of their Clubhouse experience. Contribution of Clubhouse to Members Attitudes and Thoughts about School I care more about doing well in school. I try harder to do my best at school. I am better at finding ways to overcome problems or challenges that I encounter at school. I feel like I am more successful in school. agree strongly agree I spend more time on my homework and keep working on it until it is finished. I like school more. When the data is broken out by gender and age group, the responses are still very positive. However, girls are more likely than boys to agree with the statements about school. Contribution of Clubhouse to Members Attitudes and Thoughts about School Gender Comparison I try harder to do my best at school. I care more about doing well in school. I feel like I am more successful in school. I spend more time on my homework and keep working on it until it is finished. I am better at finding ways to overcome problems or challenges that I encounter at school. 89% 95% 91% 92% 82% 90% 73% 87% 86% 87% Boys Girls I like school more. 68% 81% NOTE: Percentages represent combined responses of agree and strongly agree. 10
A decline in school engagement might be expected as youth get older, in particular among disenfranchised youth. However, this is not so at the Clubhouse. Clubhouse members across all age ranges consistently report trying harder at school, feeling like they are more successful in school, spending time on homework, and having interest in doing well in school. Contribution of Clubhouse to Attitudes and Thoughts about School Age Group Comparison I care more about doing well in school. I try harder to do my best at school. I am better at finding ways to overcome problems or challenges that I encounter at school. I feel like I am more successful in school. I spend more time on my homework and keep working on it until it is finished. I like school more. 88% 93% 94% 90% 92% 90% 84% 87% 87% 85% 83% 85% 78% 75% 82% 69% 73% 73% 12 or younger 13-15 16 or older NOTE: Percentages represent combined responses of agree and strongly agree. Attitudes about Graduating from High School Almost all members say it is important to them to graduate from high school. Of those who say it is important, almost three-quarters credit their Clubhouse experience as influencing their commitment to graduate from high school: How important is it to you that you graduate from high school (secondary school)? 94% responded important or very important. How much has your Clubhouse experience influenced your commitment to graduate from high school? 73% responded some or a lot. CONTEXT: The high school graduation rate in the U.S. was 81% in 2012-13. The Condition of Education 2015 (NCES 2015-144) 11
Attitudes about Continuing Education after High School Consistent with their responses about graduating from high school, most members want to continue their education and three-quarters say the Clubhouse experience has influenced their thinking: How important to you is continuing your education after high school? 93% responded important or very important. How much has your Clubhouse experience influenced your commitment to continuing your education after high school? 75% responded some or a lot. Members have different plans for furthering their education after high school. Two-thirds want to go to a 4-year college or university (66%). If you intend to continue your education, are you most likely to: # % Attend a 4-year college or university 833 66% Attend a 2-year or community college 164 13% Attend an on-the-job or hands-on training program 108 9% Attend a trade or vocational school (e.g., job preparation program) 79 6% Attend another type of program 74 6% In members own words: This is a fun place to apply for colleges and find different ways to get grants and scholarships. There is always someone that will help you apply for different universities and help you with college essays. CONTEXT: In 2014, 34% of 25 to 29-year-olds in the U.S. had earned a bachelor s degree. The Condition of Education 2015 (NCES 2015-144) Interest in Studying STEM A large percentage of Clubhouse members are interested in studying STEM in the future. Three out of four of them point to the Clubhouse as being influential in their thinking: How interested are you in studying some aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM)? 77% responded interested or very interested. How has your Clubhouse experience influenced your interest in studying some aspect of STEM in the future? 75% responded some or a lot. These findings are consistent across gender and age groups. Eighty percent of boys and 74% of girls who responded to the survey say they are interested in studying some aspect of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. This a significant departure from national trends where there is still great disparity between the percentage of women and men earning bachelor s degree in engineering, computer science, or physics. Importantly, 78% of boys and 75% of girls report that their Clubhouse experience has increased their interest in studying STEM. 12
Contribution of Clubhouse to Attitudes about Graduating High School, Continuing Education, and Interest in Studying STEM Gender Comparison has increased their commitment to high school has increased their commitment to continuing education after high school has increased their interest in studying some aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math in the future 74% 72% 73% 78% 78% 75% Boys Girls NOTE: Percentages represent combined responses of increased some and increased a lot. CONTEXT: In 2014, women earned just 19% of engineering, 18% of computer science, and 19% of physics bachelor s degrees in the U.S. NSF, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, 2015 The impact of the Clubhouse on attitudes about graduating high school, continuing education, and studying STEM increases with members age. Contribution of Clubhouse to Attitudes about Graduating High School, Continuing Education, and Interest in Studying STEM Age Group Comparison has increased their commitment to high school has increased their commitment to continuing education after high school 68% 77% 76% 70% 76% 82% 12 or younger 13-15 16 or older has increased their interest in studying some aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math in the future 75% 76% 80% NOTE: Percentages represent combined responses of increased some and increased a lot. CONTEXT: As many as half of young people in developing countries are either without work, not studying, or are engaged in irregular employment. International Labour Organization, 2015 13
Optimism and Preparedness for the Future Youth believe they are learning skills at the Clubhouse that will be useful in their future career (89%). Because of their Clubhouse experience, youth feel more optimistic about their future and believe they are gaining the skills they will need to be successful. They agree or strongly agree with the following statements: I am more optimistic about my future. (93%) I have high goals and expectations for myself. (92%) I am more confident that I will have the personal skills to be successful in my future career. (92%) I will be able to get the job I want. (90%) I will have the technical/computer skills to be successful in my future career. (89%) In members own words: It s a pretty awesome club where you can be productive and still have fun and learn more about computers and things that can help you in the future. It [the Clubhouse experience] will benefit you in life. The Clubhouse enhances members desire to contribute and give back to the community. Another important influence of the Clubhouse is on members desire to help others at their Clubhouse and in their local community. They like teaching and helping other youth at the Clubhouse (87%) and are more interested in working on projects that help make the world a better place (89%). Contribution of Clubhouse to Members Desire to Contribute and Give Back to the Community It s more important for me to find ways to give back to my Computer Clubhouse. I am more interested in working on projects that help make the world a better place. I like teaching and helping other youth at the Computer Clubhouse. agree strongly agree I am more interested in contributing to my local community. I have had more opportunities to work on projects that help my local community. The Clubhouse Network provides a foundation for nearly 100 sites to provide high-quality programs for thousands of young people. The survey results show that youth both value and benefit from their Clubhouse experiences. It is important to note that these results are largely uniform and consistently of high quality across the Clubhouse Network. This is possible because Clubhouses are part of a strong international network that provides supports, guidance, and shared community for all Clubhouses and their leaders. The Network, thus, is an international infrastructure capable of growing and supporting 100 Clubhouse sites around 14
the world. The Network has strong leadership and is a critically important capacity that has been developed over the past 22 years. Properly supported, the Clubhouse Network is capable of further expansion and of evolving and improving practices over time. Composite Rating of Overall Clubhouse Quality by Site Responses to six items measuring different aspects of Clubhouse quality were combined into a fourpoint scale. Scores above 2.5 indicate, on average, more high-quality ratings than low-quality ratings. Scores above 3 indicate mostly high-quality ratings and scores above 3.5 indicate nearly exclusively highquality ratings. NOTE: Clubhouses with fewer than 5 survey respondents were not included. Survey Administration and Data Analysis The Clubhouse survey was administered in eight languages: English, Arabic, Danish, Hebrew, Kannada, Portuguese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese. Each Clubhouse Coordinator identified members who had spent enough time at the Clubhouse to be able to speak to their experience over time. Survey participants were informed about the survey requirements and given an option to exit from the survey or proceed to answer the questions. Those who agreed to take the survey proceeded to answer a set of core questions and one out of three sets of randomly assigned non-core questions. The dataset contained a total of 1,781 survey attempts. A total of 383 survey attempts were incomplete or did not meet the necessary requirements (e.g. no consent, incorrect password, no Clubhouse listed, outside the designated age range). The final dataset used for the analyses contained 1,384 entries. 15