CoderDojo

CoderDojo : Open Free Learning For Young People

United StatesDublin, Ireland

Year Founded:

2011

Organization type:

nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector

Project Stage:

Growth

Website:

http://www.coderdojo.com

Twitter:

@coderdojo

Project Summary

Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

CoderDojo is a global movement of coding clubs. Young people aged between 7 and 17 learn how to code, develop websites, apps, games and more, in a social, collaborative learning environment. CoderDojo is seeding the next skilled generation.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

Every child has the opportunity to learn how to code in a collaborative space, just imagine what could be built and what social problems could s

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Children are not being given the opportunity to learn how to code! In the USA, less than 2.4% of students graduate with a computer science degree. In Europe, computer science has a higher drop out rate than any other 3rd level degree. CoderDojo coding clubs are not simply addressing the global skills gap at its root cause but through Dojos children are developing creative, practical and logical problem-solving skills.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

CoderDojo! CoderDojo is an inclusive movement that aims to give every child the opportunity to learn code in a safe and collaborative environment. Run by volunteers emphasis is put on collaborative learning and coding for good. We support volunteers to set up a Dojo in their area tackling the root cause of the skills gap.

Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

CoderDojo has made an impact on thousands of children's lives around the world. One example was a shy teenage boy who joined his local Dojo when he moved to a new town. After only a few months not only had built an app that went to number 1 in the App store but he had gained confidence, friends and was passing this one by mentoring new Dojo attendees. This is just one of thousands examples of children who have gained far more than a 21st century skill by going to a Dojo.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

There are now over 340 Dojos around the world spread across 38 countries running clubs either weekly, bi weekly or monthly. These clubs are reaching over 12,000 children on a regular basis.

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

Primarily we are scaling CoderDojo through strategic partnerships. Our most recent partnership was with the US State Department to launch CoderDojo in Africa. The model is open source and we have all the information to set up a club available online. This has enabled the movement to scale rapidly.

Sustainability

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

CoderDojo is the only open source (FREE!) organisations addressing this problem. Dojos are open to all children (above 7) and not a subset of children. Although there are some organisations addressing the skills gap as CoderDojo however none of them are open source or have the global reach that CoderDojo does.

Team

Founding Story

After recognizing that James Whelton (founder) could grow CoderDojo if he had financing to develop resources and actively support the community. He decided to establish the Hello World Foundation. HWF is just 1 year old and already we are having a huge impact.

Team

James Whelton - Founder Eugene Mcdonough - COO Giustina Mizzoni - Development Manager Ben Chapman - Resource Development

About You

Organization:

The Hello World Foundation

About You

First Name

Giustina

Last Name

Mizzoni

[email protected]

Twitter URL

http://@coderdojo

Facebook URL

How did you hear about this Competition?

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About Your Organization

Organization Name

The Hello World Foundation

Organization Country

, Dublin

Country where this project is creating social impact

Innovation

How long have you been in operation?

Sustainability

If your venture is not yet break-even or generating a surplus from sales, how are you covering the financial gap currently? What are your plans for breaking even in the future?

The Foundation is supported by philanthropic donations and awards. This small budget supports the team who in turn support Dojos starting up. We are exploring ways to make us less dependant on donations including partnerships with corporates for awarding belts and badges to children and sponsorship of our two global annual events DojoCon and Coolest Projects.

Tell us about your partnerships. What partnerships are critical for your solution’s success? How are you forming these partnerships?

We partner with corporates who are passionate about teaching the next generation of creators. These corporates donate their space and talent to run Dojos. We form these partnerships through building brand awareness and creating inbound opportunities and secondly through identifying like minded corporates and approaching them directly.

What, if any, corporate partners have you worked with regarding your solution? What is the nature of your relationship with these corporate partners (e.g. career/internship placement of your participants, financial sponsorship or donations, program development, etc.)

GitHub, Microsoft, Salesforce, Google all run Dojos in their offices.
Liberty Global became out first corporate donor early in 2014.

Barriers and Beneficiaries

U.S State(s) where your solution is creating impact

What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?

Approximately 100 words left (800 characters).

The Participants: Tell us about the people who are benefited by your solution, including demographics and a qualitative description of the population you are serving.