“CODE Kids – Children are coding in public libraries”, a national initiative that aims to create a new movement in coding and STEM in which children, teenagers, and librarians from the rural and small urban environment are developing digital skills, starts a brand new year of activities.
One of the project objectives it was overtaken. The project extended in another 10 counties around the country, and our current results include 3.000.000 written code lines, by kids that continue learn the basics of coding, through an interactive, action learning method.
Currently, there are 95 CODE Kids clubs in which almost 1300 children, from 18 counties, are reuniting every week: Sălaj, Bihor, Timiș, Vâlcea, Gorj, Argeș, Vrancea, Tulcea, Galați, Hunedoara, Caraș-Severin, Harghita, Brașov, Neamț, Iași, Constanța, Bacău, Arad.
“The project exceeded what we expected when the first clubs were launched in the spring of 2017. Children do not just teach programming in public libraries but create a movement in which children, librarians, and parents want to be a part of the CODE Kids network because it develops digital skills, robotics and, in general, STEM. In CODE Kids clubs, children learn how to work efficiently in a team, to provide constructive feedback as well as other skills that can add value to the community.” Ovidiu Ana, project manager CODE Kids.
The partners believe in the national initiative promoted by the CODE Kids project, through which children are preparing to welcome the future with optimism.
Therefore, thanks to Orange, Société Générale, Simplon Romania, CEZ Vânzare, Alpha Bank and the ASPEN Institute of Romania, because supported by Progress Foundation team, the ETIC Association and the public libraries from Romania, rewrite the future of children from a rural environment.
* The CODE Kids National Initiative is made with the financial support of the Romanian-American Foundation and benefits from the support provided by the Romanian public libraries network.
About Progress Foundation
Funda Progress Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in 2002 in Bistrita (Bistrita-Nasaud County), which leads local initiatives in the field of education / training, (e) inclusion and community development, which then it scales at the national level as good practices, innovative and impact, using public libraries as lifelong learning hubs (focal points) and social innovation centers to reach any social group, especially marginal ones. The Progress Foundation continues the development of librarians` skills and diversification of community services for the public libraries network of the Biblionet national program, funded between 2009 and 2016 by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
