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Today is a big day for Actua. Joining Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google and participants from one of Actua’s local member programs, we announced a 3-year, $1.5 million project, powered by a grant from Google.org. That makes us the recipients of the single largest investment Google has made in Canada to support learning about computer science. We couldn’t be more excited about what this means for 33 network members across Canada and the near quarter million youth they engage each year.
I’d like to introduce you to our newest project: Codemakers.
Codemakers will transform the way that we deliver computer science programming to our youth participants. New programming will be designed by Google engineers and Actua’s top computer science thinkers from across Canada. It will result in dynamic new computer science experiences that will take the current STEM content delivered by our 33 network members to a whole new level. It will engage our youth in dynamic activities that teach coding, hacking, 3-D printing, video game creation, software and hardware development … the list goes on and on.
With the ubiquity of computing, coding has become a basic literacy. Future social and economic innovation and change will be driven by code – we need to put youth in the driver seat by teaching them this basic literacy at a young age. The new Codemakers project will provide experiences to youth that will enable them to turn their ideas into innovation.
In the next three years, Codemakers will directly inspire 100,000 Canadian youth with a priority focus on engaging girls and young women, Aboriginal youth and youth facing significant socio-economic challenges. We will also deliver this content in Canada’s most Northern Arctic communities.
The project begins this Fall as we assemble what we are calling our sandbox of experts who will lead the way. These will be piloted in Summer 2015 and then rolled out nationally. The project will culminate with a sesquicentennial celebration – showcasing the technological innovations of youth from across the country.
Agencies/Canadajournal
