Bits and bytes of 2023!

As we code our way through the final moments of 2023, members of the Code Club team take a byte-sized trip down memory lane and share their personal highlights from the year.

Young people’s voices

Tamasin, Head of Code Club, has loved exploring the impact that being a member of a club has on young people.

“This year we’ve talked to lots of leaders and their club members about their experiences, and launched a research project to find out more about the impact of coming to Code Club. I’ve been blown away by how reflective our young members are and how much they value belonging to a group of like-minded people.

I am so grateful to all our club leaders for providing these experiences that are helping young people to develop a mindset of confidence and enthusiasm for digital technologies.”

Coming together in Cambridge 

Sarah, Code Club Community Manager, reflects on the success of our first-ever Clubs Conference, hosted in Cambridgeshire:

“One of our largest and most exciting events this year took place in March, when 140 volunteers and educators involved in Code Club and CoderDojo came together to learn, create, and connect at the first-ever Clubs Conference in Cambridge!

It was such a pleasure to meet so many members of the community in person. I left the conference completely inspired by their dedication, creativity, and enthusiasm – I can’t wait for the next one!”

Community collaboration

Zoe, Programme Coordinator, loves how you always brighten her day. Your openness to answer her questions and share ideas on supporting the next generation of digital makers makes her job a joy! This is what Zoe has taken from the year:

“This year, our Code Club community has shone brightly. We’ve had great moments like chatting with you for our micro-interview blog series, hanging out at our ‘Coffee and conversation’ online meetups, and teaming up to improve our progress charts and resources.

You’re a friendly bunch, and it’s genuinely delightful to hear your stories and celebrate your wins. Thanks for always being open to this and for playing a big part in inspiring future Code Club educators. And don’t worry, I have plans for more stickers in 2024!”

Global coding community

Our global partner network has had an amazing year of growth. Izzy, Global Programme Coordinator, shines a spotlight on some achievements:  

“We welcomed twelve new organisations from eleven countries to our Code Club partner network! From Peru to Nigeria and from Burundi to the Philippines, we’re excited to be working with our new partners to bring Code Club to even more young people around the world.

We also took the opportunity to host a meetup for our partners on the African continent. Ten organisations joined us in Cape Town to share their experiences, learn from each other, and make connections, followed by a chance to attend Coolest Projects South Africa 2023, which the team thoroughly enjoyed!” 

Launching new projects 

Pete, Learning Manager on the Raspberry Pi Projects Site, shares his favourite project from 2023:

“The team have done some fantastic work to simplify the language in our projects to make them more accessible and to transition the Python and web paths to use the new Raspberry Pi Code Editor.

If I had to pick a favourite project though, it has to be our ‘Sound level meter’ project in our Intro to micro:bit path. I love the way this project links with the path theme of wellbeing, allowing young people to consider the way sound levels can affect them and others..

I also set up my first Code Club this year AND LOVE IT!”

Learning together

It’s been a year of workshops at Code Club. Darren, Programme Coordinator (Ireland), reflects on our training offer:

“In 2023, we revamped our community training. Incorporating community feedback, I restructured workshops into two one-hour sessions focusing on programming languages such as Scratch, HTML & CSS, Python, artificial intelligence (AI), and micro:bit. Our goal is to provide accessible learning opportunities for everyone, regardless of where people are on their Code Club journey.

In total, we have run an impressive 41 workshops, which have been attended by 1187 individuals. Personally, meeting everyone at the workshops has been a highlight of my year. I hope I helped everyone gain new skills and confidence that they can take back to their Code Clubs.”

Here’s to another year of coding triumphs, shared learning, and creating vibrant and inspiring spaces for young people to code and grow in. See you all in 2024!