If you’ve got young kids, chances are they are using smart tablets before they can read or write. Digital is here to stay, and the next generation is going to deal with a largely digital world. But will they be ready to get the most out of it? As digital redefines social interactions, public services, business and even creative processes, we should make sure we give today’s kids the tools to understand, maintain and improve tomorrow’s world. This is the vision of CoderDojo Belgium, an initiative Accenture in Belgium & Luxembourg is actively supporting by hosting bimonthly coding workshops for its employees and their kids. Our objective is to mobilize and encourage them to get involved in CoderDojo workshops in their local neighborhoods. Here’s why…
Just as during 20th century reading and writing became essential skills to perform in society, and of course in most jobs, nowadays coding is becoming part of what we can define as basic literacy. Our goal should not be to have swarms of coders capable of developing the most complex programs. Rather, just as reading and writing support the capacity to synthesize and transmit information or understand a message, coding should also be seen as a basic skill. In a digital world, everyone should have basic analytical and problem solving skills to enable a minimum understanding of what lies behind the tools they use day-to-day, and the possibility to adapt them to individual needs.
The ultimate goal should be to move from a society of technology consumers to creators and responsible consumers who use technology as a tool to support pretty much every form of creation, from new businesses (think of a basic webshop) all the way to art (music, design…).
This is not only about skills: it is a mindset, and it’s better learnt at an early age. In order to transmit and foster this mindset and enable a creator as opposed to consumer attitude in kids, coding should be taught in schools. But the digital world moves much faster than education policies, and as yet, very few countries foresee any technical programs on primary or even secondary school curriculums. However, this is slowly changing. Initiatives such as the European Code Week, with more than 3000 events across Europe and more than 50 in Belgium and Luxembourg, demonstrate institutional awareness of the shortfall, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Filling the gap has started, first by individuals and grassroots initiatives, and now progressively companies are getting involved. The response to Accenture’s coding workshops for employees’ kids and potential coaches in partnership with CoderDojo Belgium has been overwhelming. Each session is fully booked within hours of registration opening. In a recent workshop, a four-year-old participant surprised us all by creating his first program, making him our youngest coder to date. Our coaches are now getting involved in local workshops across Belgium.
The importance of such initiatives goes beyond purely mobilizing a few kids and coaches; it is essential for the future of Europe. As we make Belgium, Luxembourg and Europe digital, the demand for technology savvy, collaborative professionals will steadily increase. This future talent must be nurtured and encouraged from an early stage. It’s not only the responsibility of governments, but also of companies and citizens. Working together, we can build the right ecosystem for a solid, integrated and sustainable digital society of the future. If we could teach all six-years how to code, we would give an entire generation this important skill. The time to act is now.
