What is the impact of the South Auckland Geek Camps in developing young people's confidence in the application of their digital competencies?

Abstract

Auckland Libraries is the largest public library system in Australasia. Mangere Town Centre Library, a community library located in South Auckland, embarked on a journey to reposition itself as an innovative digital space in 2015, working collaboratively with NGO Accelerating Aotearoa to deliver a series of community digital events called Park Jams and Geek Camps.

NGO Accelerating Aotearoa has delivered Geek Camps in Mangere, Otara, Manukau, and Clendon over the past four years. "Geek camps," are essentially makerspace sessions where young people have the opportunity to engage with digital technology and are inspired to think about the possibility of a future career in the digital field.

This qualitative research examines the impact of these South Auckland Geek Camps in developing young people's confidence in the application of their digital competencies. Research methodology consisted of two semi-structured interviews conducted with six purposefully selected intermediate-aged students before and after a Geek Camp, together with observations of the participants at the "Geek Camp" and the "Celebration of Learning" event. A content and thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, and responses from a Likert Scale questionnaire, supported by student observations, confirmed that students' digital confidence levels grew, as a result of attending a Geek Camp, and the newly acquired digital skills were likely to be applied in the future.