4 years ago I decided to start a new CoderDojo in my community. The logic was simple: to provide the best support I could to the CoderDojo community, I wanted to understand what it was really like to be a CoderDojo Champion. And so, with the help of local volunteers, Selby CoderDojo was born. We had an amazing response from the community, we’ve been running every month since then to meet demand, and we’ve been the catalyst for the launch of six other local clubs reaching hundreds of young people every month.

This month, Selby CoderDojo celebrated its 40th Dojo event. 40 opportunities for young people to come together, have fun, learn new skills and build new creations. 40 opportunities to see that moment a young person lets out a scream of joy, claps their hands, and jumps up and down when they turn on an LED for the first time. 40 opportunities for young people and parents to genuinely collaborate on a project, and 40 opportunities to see young people grow as they find their voice and proudly show off their new creations to a room full of people. When you create a space for young people to have fun and get creative with technology on their terms, there’s so much joy to see.

15 years of CoderDojo

This year we celebrate 15 years since the first-ever CoderDojo event in Cork, Ireland. I want to say a huge thanks to co-founders James Whelton and Bill Liao for starting a movement that embraces the power of non-formal education and continues to impact so many young people, including those right here in my community in Selby. We also owe a massive thank you to every Mentor, Champion, supporter, funder, parent, and of course every single Ninja past and present who have made CoderDojo what it is.

Today there are over 600 active CoderDojos running around the world, creating opportunities for tens of thousands of young people. CoderDojos are part of the Code Club movement, the world’s largest coordinated network of free coding clubs for young people, with over 10,000 Code Clubs meeting monthly.

Earlier this month we held Raspberry Fields, our first global partners summit in Cambridge. It was great to have representatives from Dojos around the world join in important conversations about the future of computing education and the impact of AI. Undoubtedly schools play a significant role in preparing young people for the future, but not every child thrives at or even attends school. Every conversation, panel discussion, and workshop at Raspberry Fields reminded me that the original CoderDojo approach — championing non-formal education and embracing fun, creativity, collaboration, and openness — is still immensely important. I’m really proud that these values remain a core part of CoderDojo and the wider Code Club movement today.

Continuing the mission

Raspberry Fields was a useful reminder that even in the age of AI, it’s imperative that we encourage and enable young people to learn to code. We need to help young people understand, question and shape the AI systems affecting their lives, and we need to think carefully about how we reach young people who can’t or don’t access school. We need even more clubs that will continue the mission that CoderDojo began.

Launching a CoderDojo is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I’m proud to be part of both CoderDojo and Code Club, and I’m proud that we continue to support all of our clubs, no matter what name they choose. If you’d like to join or launch a club in your community, head to the Code Club website to get started — I promise you won’t regret it!

Thank you to James, Bill, and everyone who has been part of the CoderDojo journey. Be cool!

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PS For those of you reading this in the community in Ireland, where CoderDojo first began all those years ago, I can’t wait to hear your experiences and learn together in Athlone at Meet, Learn, Make this October.