16 04 12 Decoding CoderDojo AER

Decoding

Timisoara Tech Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

• 13-15.000 employees, 1000 companies, 4 universities in ICT
• ~65 startups (www.TimisoaraStartups.com)
• 40+ specialized tech communities
• 100+ events per year
• Startup Weekend, Startup Pirates
• HackTM - biggest hackathon in (South-)Eastern Europe
• well connected regionally

• BUT we still need 500+ new IT specialists per year

CoderDojo Global

• network of programming clubs
• initiated in Irland, 2011
• ~70 countries,1200+ clubs
• ~35.000 7-17 year old kids
• free, OPEN, informal, inclusive, volunteer mentor driven
• "Above all, be cool!"

Remember:

The People of CoderDojo Timișoara

Above all, be cool!

Build a

What and how are kids learning?

in your city!

• coding is presented as a force of change
• technologies: web dev, desktop & mobile apps, games, hardware
• learning: self paced, self oriented, ”co-opetitional”, community-, mentor- & peer-supported
• social and soft-skills competences

Radu Ticiu

Nov 22th 2016, Reșița

CoderDojo Timisoara

radu.ticiu@gmail.com

Outline

About ourselves

Timisoara Tech Ecosystem

CoderDojo Globally & in Timișoara

Humans of CoderDojo Timișoara

The Challenges

Summary

CoderDojo in Timișoara Metropolitan Area

Weekly activities in 13 dojos:

• a coworking space
• a rural school's canteen
• offices of a village community association
• classrooms of 4 Timisoara & Sacalaz (high-)schools
• 2 seminary rooms in 2 departments @UVT
• two ICT companies' conference rooms
• A day center for kids in socially marginalized families
• a restaurant

CoderDojo in Romania

Facts & Figures

Accomplishments

• 800+ kids & 300+ volunteers on record
• 350+ kids & 40+ mentors attending weekly
• mentors: students, employees, freelancers, entrepreneurs
• special events
• kids presenting, competing, participating to tech entrepreneurship ecosystem events
• +400 kEUR worth of involvement
• 0 EUR public or EU money directly spent
• 4000 EUR donations collected

• a model of continuous growth
• kids -> mentors, mentors -> champions
• densest CoderDojo area in Continental Europe
• Bill Liao visiting Timisoara
• kids winning international competitions
• "triggering" new dojos in RO and abroad
• "exporting" mentors
• leading CoderDojo RO network

- started dec 2012 (Bucharest)

- informal network, Timișoara leadership

- 22 active dojos

- common knowledge base generation

- joint national events

- joint participations to international & global network's events

Challenges

Why is it THAT important to early educate IN ANOTHER WAY kids to code?

• support new dojos setting up
• better connect nationaly/internationally
• better use CoderDojo global resources
• continuous mentors recruitment
• organize Coolest Projects Romania
• build a network resource center
• device "Mentoring School"

• prevent ninjas to prematurely get jobs :)

CoderDojo Summer Camp

• formal educational system is outpaced
• it is not building on the native curiosity & creativity
• it is not practicing learning by playing/by doing
• it is not fully transforming the "user" in "creator"
• it in not acting towards attitudinal & skill-set change
• no care to the ”paying back to community” spirit

• national event
• late August
• one week event
• coding + leisure + outdoor + culture
• Cisnadioara or Sibiu
• gathering of 80+ ninjas & 12 mentors
• 4000 EUR budget

Timișoara MegaDojo

Coolest Projects Romania

• June 25th
• half day event
• CBC, CRAFT or Sala Olimpia
• gathering of 512+ young coders & 128 mentors
• 1000 visitors
• 100 volunteers
• 5000 EUR budget

• fall 2016
• one day event
• showcasing 200+ projects
• 500 Romanian & foreign ninjas
• 2000 visitors
• 150 volunteers
• 15.000 EUR budget
• + CoderDojo Romania Association public launch