Welcoming all young coders: Building inclusive Code Clubs

In today’s increasingly diverse and interconnected world, creating inclusive and engaging learning environments for all learners is more important than ever. This is especially true in STEM fields like computer science, where underrepresented groups, such as women, certain ethnic groups, and learners from lower social and economic backgrounds, have historically been marginalised.

Culturally relevant and responsive teaching is an approach that takes into account the cultural backgrounds and experiences of learners, whether that’s youth culture, heritage culture, or even popular culture! It involves understanding and respecting the diverse ways that learners learn and valuing their cultural identities. In a culturally responsive Code Club, all learners feel welcome, respected, and supported, creating a truly inclusive learning environment. 

In this blog, we’ll share three actionable tips for creating a more inclusive and engaging club environment for your learners.

Tip one: Find out about your learners

Code Club leaders often share their own passions and interests, shaping activities around topics that excite them and use these to inspire club members about the possibilities of computing and digital making. 

Another approach to running a Code Club is to discover your members’ interests and passions. By tailoring activities to their preferences, you not only increase engagement but also demonstrate how their unique identities and perspectives are valued in the world of computing.

In clubs with learners from diverse backgrounds or different schools, hosting a showcase or show-and-tell can be a fantastic way for everyone to get to know each other better and celebrate their individual contributions.

Our ‘Mood board’ project, from the ‘Introduction to web: HTML, CSS, and animations’ path, is a great way for club members to customise and personalise a project to contain their current likes, interests, or feelings. Kevin, Club Programs Manager, USA, explained in a recent blog why ‘Mood board’ is a fun way for young people to share their interests and creativity.

Tip two: Contextualise

Code Club projects offer many ways to contextualise them to suit club members’ interests. In particular, the visual elements of Scratch can easily be changed to add different Sprites or backgrounds so that the project reflects a learner’s youth culture or heritage culture. This makes computing more relevant and meaningful to learners because they see how computing relates to things that matter to them. 

Learners in Scratch can also create their own assets using the paint editor. Explore this helpful tutorial explaining some of the basics and think about how to introduce this into your Code Club. For example, you could create a Sprite with the Paint Editor. 

Want to see how this is put into practice? Watch this video that shows how the Scratch team collaborated with STEAM Vietnam to create an asset pack to reflect Vietnamese culture. 

“I used to think that Code Clubs should be all about coding and that time spent customising and changing Sprites was wasted time. But then I saw how engaged my club members were when they could make a project that aligned with their interests. They were more persistent in solving problems and more motivated to complete their project. They definitely got more out of the club sessions when they had the freedom to make a project that reflected who they were.” – Katharine Childs, Code Club community member

Tip three: Collaboration

Collaborative activities such as working together in groups are highly effective in Code Clubs. When learners exchange ideas and opinions, they not only deepen their understanding of the material but also develop essential skills like active listening, respecting diverse viewpoints, and valuing the knowledge and experiences of others.

Our ‘Ways to run your club’ page has a great section on learner-led clubs, which includes ideas on how to introduce pair programming or digital leader roles. 

Culturally relevant and responsive approaches can make a significant difference in creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment for all Code Club members. By understanding and respecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of learners, we can make a space where everyone feels welcome, respected, and supported. Why not try some of the strategies discussed in this blog post and see how they can benefit your club?

If you’d like to learn more about how you can make your Code Club more inclusive, have a read of our 10 areas of opportunity for making computing culturally relevant.