Two Weekends to Learn to Code: 60 Kids from Nairobi are Ready to Take up the Challenge!

ThinkYoung

• In partnership with Boeing, ThinkYoung will host its 9th Coding Summer School in  Nairobi. 

• During 2 weekends (November 21/22 & 28/29), 60 young people (60% of whom are  girls) aged between 11 and 14 will get free lessons in computer programming through sessions with coding experts. 

• Classes will cover a wide range of activities, such as coding a personal blog or web  page in HTML5 and building a mobile game with JavaScript. 

Empowering young people by teaching them digital skills  

Geared towards young programmers, this year’s school features an interactive curriculum  that includes creating websites and mobile apps. The programme – which is 100% free of  charge – provides students with a unique experience of a school characterised by innovative  approaches in a non-formal educational setting, addressing the real needs of the youth of  today and the skills required by the labour market.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that education needs to be inclusive and accessible  to all, considering new technology-related critical skills for the youth”, says Andrea Gerosa,  Founder of ThinkYoung. “After a first successful school in Nairobi in 2019, we are extremely  happy to bring back the Coding Summer School in Kenya, in order to offer young people the  opportunity to learn new things.” 

Advances in digital technology are having a colossal impact on our economy and society and are profoundly transforming the job market as well as the types of skills required for young  professionals. This new reality leads to the need of more skilled ICT professionals in all  sectors. 

The Coding Summer School is in support of the Government’s Digital Skills Agenda as  outlined in Kenya’s Digital Economy Blueprint, supported by the ICT Ministry in 2019.  

60% of girls participants  

The project also aims to break the traditional stereotype that ICT is not for women and bring technology and the variety in this field closer to girls. One of the goals of the Coding  Summer School is to overcome male domination in the ICT sector by giving younger girls female role models, early experiences of computer science, and to build a supportive environment capable of instilling confidence and interest. 

For more information about the Coding Summer School, please visit  www.codingsummerschool.com 

ThinkYoung is the first think tank that focuses on young people. It was founded in 2007 and  has expanded to have offices in Brussels, Geneva, Madrid, Hong Kong, and Nairobi. It is a  not-for-profit organisation, with the aim of making the world a better place for young people,  by involving them in decision-making processes and by providing decision-makers with high  quality research on youth’s conditions. ThinkYoung conducts studies and surveys, makes  documentary movies, writes policy proposals, and develops education programmes: up to  date, ThinkYoung projects have reached over 600,000 young people.

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