Code Club Australia wants to break last year’s world record for the number of Aussie kids simultaneously coding while promoting digital literacy for 21st century living.
With over 10,000 children taking part in last year’s computer coding exercises thanks to Code Club Australia, and with over 20,000 having already registered for the 2017 Moonhack on August 15, Aussie kids will soon learn how to create their own matrices of imagination-building coding magic.
This year is extra special, as Moonhack will be “part of the 20th anniversary of National Science Week, Australia's annual celebration of science and technology.”
We’re told that “last year saw the event break the world record with 10,207 kids all coding on the same day,” and that “this year, Moonhack is going global with the aim to have kids all over the world coding over a period of 24 hours.”
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The event will launch from Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand, the closest cities to the International Date Line and continue around the globe for August 15th in every country.
Code Club Australia GM Kelly Tagalan said, “Moonhack is about so much more than just kids coding. We are reading kids’ statements along with their registrations telling us why this kind of education is so important. One girl said, she’s planning to be an engineer, like her dad, and wants to learn to code early, because it’s helpful to her in solving problems.
“We also want kids to spark a love for learning through computational thinking, because it will be required in more than 70% of jobs of the future - complex problem solving and a basic understanding of how technology is built is already an in-demand skill set in Australia’s job market.
“Our mission is make sure that every Australian child has the opportunity to learn how to code, no matter where they live, what school they go to or what kind of access to computers they may have at home,” Tagalan cadded.
Jackie Coates, Head of the Telstra Foundation, which is Code Club Australia’s founding funder, naturally encouraged parents across Australia to get on board and organise a Moonhack mission control in their homes or local schools.
Coates said: “Digital technology is changing every aspect of our lives and computer coding is the language of the 21st Century. At the Telstra Foundation we’re passionate building the skills our kids need to prepare them for the jobs of the future.
“The best thing about Code Club is that it breaks down the myth that computer coding is hard and complex – it’s actually fun and through Moonhack something parents can do with their kids. As a mum of tweens, I’ve been able to get involved in coding with my kids through Code Club’s unique approach – and we’ve had a blast doing it.”
You’ll be pleased to know that Code Club Australia is a “not-for-profit organisation that provides tools and support for teachers and volunteers to provide free coding lessons.”
Currently, there are more than 65,000 Aussie kids across 1950 Code Clubs in Australia, from Perth to Gold Coast and South-Western Sydney, with Australia now having “the biggest network of clubs outside the UK.”
Amanda, age 9 in Queensland said: “I want to learn to code because it’s the language that will help me get the job I want. I want to invent something cool that can help make the world better.”
To participate in the event, families can register their details at moonhack.com, but do it before August 15!
Here’s more info on Moonhack:
Moonhack is Code Club's free Record Setter World Record event for kids aged 8-18 around the world. On August 15, kids all over the globe, in many languages and from all time zones, will be Moonhacking.
You can try one of Moonhack’s projects or submit your own coding project with a moon theme. As noted above, Moonhack last year broke a world record with 10,207 Aussie kids all coding on the same day and this year it’s finally going global!
Check out the #getkidscoding hashtag online for more info, as well as the Moonhack and Code Club Australia links.