Raspberry Pi Partners With CoderDojo To Empower Kid Coders

Raspberry Pi and CoderDojo are investing in the next generation of programmers. The two foundations are joining together in a collaboration that will help young people all over the world learn how to code and be more creative with technology.

According to Phillip Colligan, the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, “Bringing together Raspberry Pi, Code Club, and CoderDojo will create the largest global effort to get young people involved in computing and digital making.” Their goal is to increase the number of CoderDojo locations to 5,000 by the end of 2020.

coderdojo students working together

CoderDojo is a network of coding clubs for children between the ages of seven and seventeen. The first location was opened at the National Software Centre in Cork, Ireland by founders James Whelton and Bill Liao in June 2011. They currently have 1,250 locations in sixty-nine countries. Their original goal was to “provide a safe and social place for young people to acquire programming skills, learning from each other and supported by mentors.”

The Raspberry Pi Foundation was established in Cambridge, England in 2009 in order to promote computer science in schools. In April 2014, the foundation began offering funds for projects that promote the use of technology in education. The foundation is also responsible for a single-board computer, the Raspberry Pi. It is the United Kingdom’s best-selling computer of all time.

coderdojo docklands location

CoderDojo and Raspberry Pi have been working together in an unofficial capacity for some time. Colligan attended the CoderDojo Coolest Projects event in Dublin in June 2016 and many of the participants used Raspberry Pi computers for their projects.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is becoming a corporate member of the CoderDojo foundation, while Colligan will also join the board of the CoderDojo Foundation as a director. Raspberry Pi will provide financial support and manpower for CoderDojo as both groups work together to help young people learn more about computers.

If you are interested in getting involved, please see here.