Think of all the electronic things in your home that are programmed by a computer. There are many gadgets and everyday things that you rely on. Its thanks to coding that they do the things you want.
The easiest way to describe coding is that it is telling a computer what you want it to do.
Now pupils at Woodland Community School are learning about coding at an after-school club.
It’s run by Torfaen Communities First and The Digital Volunteers.
I went along and chatted to pupils, a volunteer and Nicola Hammond, the associate headteacher for this video.
She explained that some of the year 6 pupils have said they would like to return after they leave for secondary school to ‘teach the teachers’ and continue to volunteer at the club by helping younger pupils. The plan is then for a community coding club to open up where adults can come in and also learn about programming.
Communities First have organised Raspberry PI training for the volunteers through UHOVI and are taking names for the new course sure to start this Autumn/ Winter. Raspberry PI gives pupils the ‘hands on’ skills they would need in the tech industry.
They want to encourage parents and grandparents to volunteer so the coding clubs can grow in the area with volunteers who have the relevant training.
Volunteer with Digital Volunteers
Miles, the chief technical officer for Blurrt , a social media analytics company based in Cwmbran, along with Oliver, a pupil at a secondary school, are the two regular volunteers but more are needed.
The Digital Volunteers are always looking for new volunteers and can offer training. They do DBS checks, provide insurance and can give training in being a volunteer. You can learn how to use a Raspberry Pi.
The project is looking at offering time credits to volunteers which can be swapped for things like entry to sports venue and tourist attractions.
It may be good experience for your teenager who loves computers to share their skills and pick up new ones?
Find out more
To find our more visit www.thedigitalvolunteers.org.uk or tweet @digi_volunteers