We are proud to announce that Younity is partnering with Digital Future Aotearoa to sponsor six of their Code Clubs in priority areas across New Zealand, reaching more than 140 kids each week, teaching them to code.
“We want to make a positive impact on our youth, especially kids from priority areas who may not have access to PCs or laptops at home, and who don’t think of tech as something they could do as a future career. Code Club Aotearoa does a massive job to address these issues and make tech skills available, accessible, and exciting for our next generation.”
Richard Vaughan, Managing Director Younity
Code Clubs offer free learning sessions to kids aged 9-13, where volunteers teach tamariki coding skills, web development, and robotics (to name a few) in a fun and engaging way.
“Seeing the children progress in Code Club is incredibly rewarding. You realise tamariki are not only learning important technical skills, they’re also developing their communication, collaboration and problem solving skills. From exploring the resources to creating projects of their own, Code Club tamariki are provided with all the technical abilities of coding but more importantly we can see this kind of learning has a profound impact on their personal growth,” says Siobhan O’Connor, Code Club Aotearoa Program Coordinator.
Code Clubs run during school terms across New Zealand, and they are free to attend. The Clubs are either run from a local library or a school, with volunteers from the tech sector giving up one hour a week to help kids learn to code.
“Code Club is a great way for kids to get exposure to the wide world of tech and gain confidence in their abilities, while having fun. The stereotype that a successful tech career is only possible if you excel in math and science is a misconception that we need to clear up, we need a wide range of skills in tech,” says Richard.
We reported earlier this year that Kiwi kids aren’t rushing to choose IT as a future career. The number of our NZ students undertaking NCEA technology standards is decreasing by two percent each year, affecting the number of students entering the IT tertiary field.
Richard goes on to say:
“With a skills shortage in Aotearoa (and across the world) in IT we need to do more to grow our own talent, so sponsoring these Code Clubs is a no-brainer for us. A career in IT offers interesting work, lots of opportunities and above average income potential which can improve living standards and boost the future wellbeing of our youth.
“Finally, I want to challenge other businesses in the tech sector to also get involved – the Code Clubs need more volunteers and funding to support their important mahi, let’s all do our bit to make a difference.”
There are lots of ways to get involved – go to Code Club Aotearoa to find out more and make a difference.