Celebrating International Volunteer Day with the Code Club community

Code Club would not be the success it is today without the dedication and hard work of you, our brilliant volunteer community! To celebrate International Volunteer Day (5 December), we asked volunteers across the globe to share why they volunteer and what Code Club means to them.

The UN declared International Volunteer Day an annual celebration in 1985 and it provides us with the perfect opportunity to recognise the amazing volunteers working tirelessly to bring Code Club to their local communities.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen volunteers join our community from 160 countries around the world and we’d like to say thanks to each and every one of you who are helping to put the power of digital making into the hands of young people.

Voices from around the world

Tayla Da Coster runs a Code Club in Perth, Australia. Her Code Club journey began when she saw the Moonhack competition online.

“I immediately thought of our students and how valuable it would feel to be a part of a national club where they shared common interests with students from around the world.”

Code Club is important to her because of how easy it is to access.

“It accounted for all student’s abilities, and I was blown away by how many languages we could view the PDFs in. Being a part of something global was very special for everyone!”

Kaloi Duncan Saitoti runs Code Clubs with Maasai communities in Kenya. Volunteering with a Code Club is important to him because it gives children the opportunity to reach for their dreams.

“The power of coding skills, and computing in general, is helping kids empower themselves by making their dreams come true.”

Eirini Mbouti runs a Code Club in Leanyer, Northern Territory, Australia. She was inspired to establish a Code Club by her students.

“Their curiosity, imagination, and persistence has enabled me to set up a Code Club in our school. The students are very interested in coding, which has led me to learn more about coding. I also love to see the students’ excitement and amazement when I introduce a new code or function.” 

Why volunteer with Code Club? 

There are so many benefits to volunteering at a Code Club, including learning new skills, boosting your sense of well-being, and feeling more connected to your local community.

No previous coding experience is required to run a Code Club. You can learn alongside the club members and our free projects and resources help to take the work out of planning sessions. Start your volunteering journey today by signing up to one of our free training webinars.

And to all the current Code Club educators and volunteers across the world, we extend a heartfelt thank you for all that do!

Help us continue the spirit of International Volunteer Day by sharing your best Code Club volunteer moments with us on Twitter or Facebook. We love hearing about what Code Club means to you!