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Five years of CoderDojo!

Plus the introduction into the world of coding is getting easier and easier for children across age groups. At the CoderDojo girls and boys learn how to develop and program websites, apps, programs and games. CoderDojos have established themselves around the world. Since its launch on July 23, 2011 in Ireland by James Whelton and Bill Liao, the movement has made it to many countries of the world.

At the CoderDojo, children learn programming free of charge under professional guidance. The CoderDojos are open to all children and adolescents aged 7 to 17. Each Dojo is independently organized and part of the worldwide community of CoderDojos. The topics and offers in the dojos vary depending on the region, but usually Scratch, HTML, CSS, and PHP are applied. In addition, some teach JavaScript, Python, Ruby and Node.js, game development, Minecraft mods and even hardware tinkering with Raspberry Pis, Arduino boards and Intel Galileos. So there’s plenty of variety – and the movement is definitely successful.

Over 1000 dojos have popped up in 63 countries, all free to attend, volunteer and independently organized. In Romania alone, for example, there are currently 19 clubs. The Dojo Bucharest Nord, organized by Telekom Romania, is the country’s longest running dojo club at four years and counting. Here learning sessions are held monthly in a space provided by Telekom Romania. The company offers logistical support. The dojos are run by volunteers from the business world and free-lance coders, who then act as educational mentors for the young attendees.

For an overview of the national CoderDojos and actions on programming see https://coderdojo.com