A new Code Club has been launched at Willow Park School in Leduc to teach local children how to code. This new Black Gold School Division Code Club is one of over 1,000 free clubs in Canada that teach children how to code and think critically about technology.

“We’d like to thank Kids Code Jeunesse Canada for their generous donation of club sets of Micro:Bits to Willow Park School,” said Assistant Principal Tarynne Cable. “The students are benefiting from the problem solving skills it provides while building patience and resilience through each challenge.”

Code Club Canada is part of an international movement of over 13,000 Code Clubs across 160 countries. It brings volunteers and young people together to learn coding languages, like Scratch or HTML. Code Club Canada is run by Kids Code Jeunesse, a Canadian charity that teaches kids about AI, coding and digital citizenship. With over a decade of combined operations, they have the knowledge and resources to provide Clubs with as much support they need, on an ongoing basis.

“Creating digital skills communities through accessible initiatives such as Code Clubs is key to our mission to equip kids across Canada with important skills and digital citizenship,” said Kate Arthur, Founder and CEO at Kids Code Jeunesse. “We are excited to see new clubs launching all across the country.”

“The great thing about coding the Micro:Bits is that students can enter at any level,” said Assistant Principal Cable. “The kids can attempt challenges as advanced or beginning as they are comfortable with. The coding allows them to not only build on their computational skills but is a great tool for practicing patience and problem-solving in a fun and engaging way.”

“I love seeing the determination that comes with being challenged and I’ve had to really find that fine line between saving them and letting them work it out for themselves,” said Cable. “When they do, they are so excited and proud of themselves.”

Code Clubs are free for volunteers, venues and children, but the development of Code Club in Canada has been generously supported by SAP, Ubisoft, Federal funding through the CanCode program and provincial funding from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation in Quebec.

Anyone can set up a Code Club in a local school, library or community centre, and all the resources are provided, while volunteers have the freedom to adapt activities to the needs of their group, so the Club is by the community, for the community, with a framework of support.

If you’d like to start your own Code Club at a school, library or community centre close to you, find out more information at www.codeclub.ca.