Free coding workshops offered

The Cape Town Science Centre is to host the first Africa Code Week pilot from 30 May to 4 June, 2015, which will offer free coding workshops for children aged between 8 and 11 and free Train-the-Trainer workshops for teachers eager to join the Africa Code Week initiative.

A whole new language

Coding is the literacy of the digital age: more than a useful tool, it has become a whole new language to be spoken fluently by everyone in the 21st century. But learning how to use information technology and understanding how it works are two different things. "The good news is that learning how to code is much more fun and accessible than we think," Julie Cleverdon, director of the Science Centre in Cape Town, insisted. "Coding also contributes to developing a comprehensive range of critical skills for youths to thrive in the 21st-century workplace, from mathematics and problem solving all the way to teamwork and analytical thinking - all in the classroom environment."

Coding is now a significant driver for both the economy and society at large, not to mention a significant growth engine worldwide. With the World Bank expecting 11 million youths to enter the African labour market every year for the next decade, and knowing that many of tomorrow's jobs will be digital, SAP, Simplon.co, the Galway Education Centre and the Cape Town Science Centre joined forces and co-founded the Africa Code Week initiative to start spreading the coding revolution all over Africa as early as 2015.

Two-phased pilot event

In preparation for the live Africa Code Week initiative, which will deliver hundreds of coding workshops for 20,000 kids and youths across 11 African countries in October, the Cape Town Science Centre is inviting teachers, families, students, corporations, governments, NGOs, educational institutions and all interested parties to participate in a two-phased pilot event:

Saturday, 30 May and Sunday 31 May. Free Train-the-Trainer sessions for teachers: Entirely free of charge, these two-hour sessions will equip teachers (school teachers, coding trainers, want-to-be trainers and anyone with coding ability eager to take part in this historic initiative) with all the learning materials and tools they need to deliver their own coding workshop(s) during Africa Code Week in October; and

Monday, 1 to Thursday 4 June. Free Coding Workshops for Children (aged between eight and 11): Parents and children are invited to attend the first Africa Code Week coding workshops. These free, one-hour classroom sessions will introduce them to the joys of creative computing using the popular MIT Scratch interface.

Because space is limited, teachers, individuals and parents are invited to register online at CTSC - Africa Code Week or call Leigh on +27 (0)79 258 9611 or +27 (0)21 300 3200.