Code Club: Volunteer Spotlight
At Code Club Aotearoa, we love catching up with club leaders, volunteers and students from all corners of the country to hear about their experiences so we can share their stories with you!
This month we’re chatting to a new volunteer from Te Huarahi Robotics, a school based club in Ōtautahi. The club was founded in the first term of 2024 as part of our digital readiness program, Ōtautahi Outreach. Kate, Our PLD facilitator, spent 20 weeks in the classroom with kaiako and ākonga, engaging them and helping teachers integrate the DT&HM (Digital Technologies & Hangarau Matihiko curriculum) into their lessons. As part of this journey towards sustainable pathways, Kate introduced a weekly Code Club session. The club is attended by eleven kōhine from years 4 and 5, who come together to prototype adaptive and assistive technology, focussing on its application in medicine.
We caught up with Code Club volunteer Alex, to hear what she loves most about volunteering with Te Huarahi!
Kia ora Alex! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Could you share a bit about your personal journey with coding and technology? When did you first get into it?
Sure! Well it started back in high school, I had a really cool digital technologies teacher who ignited my passion for tech and showed me how much fun coding can be. That experience led me to pursue a computer science degree at UC, and eventually I landed a job as a backend software developer! Now I get to tackle interesting problems on a much larger scale than I ever imagined in high school.
That sounds like quite the journey! What inspired you to volunteer with Code Club and what motivates you to continue to support tamariki there?
Being one of the only women in my workplace and just one among a small group of women in my university course, I realised the importance of diversity in Aotearoa’s tech industry. I wanted to do my part in encouraging other girls and women to explore and play with tech, like my teacher did with me in high school. It’s super rewarding seeing ākonga discover the possibilities, and knowing that I can play a role in shaping their journey at Code Club keeps me motivated to continue supporting them.
That’s really powerful, it shows how positive, supportive leadership for one student can go on to impact multiple tamariki years later! What resources or tools do you find most helpful in teaching coding to ākonga and keeping them engaged?
Honestly, sometimes all it takes is a smile and some patience! Tamariki are naturally curious and enthusiastic about learning something new, especially when it involves playing around with hardware. I find that keeping the sessions light and fun, while providing gentle guidance, helps keep them engaged. Also having access to the appropriate hardware & software for their learning level goes a long way!
“Volunteering with Code Club has been super rewarding on many levels! Seeing the creativity and talent that these tamariki bring to the table is truly inspiring. It’s made me reflect on my own experience and realise the importance of nurturing young minds and providing them with opportunities early on. I’m looking forward to seeing how the tech space in Aotearoa evolves with these kids leading the way!”
It sounds like you have a great approach to teaching these curious young minds! How has volunteering with Code Club impacted your own skills or perspective on Digital Technologies education in Aotearoa?
Volunteering with Code Club has been super rewarding on many levels! Seeing the creativity and talent that these tamariki bring to the table is truly inspiring. It’s made me reflect on my own experience and realise the importance of nurturing young minds and providing them with opportunities early on. I’m looking forward to seeing how the tech space in Aotearoa evolves with these kids leading the way!
Thanks for sharing your insights with us Alex, and thank you so much for your incredible dedication and being an inspiration to these young minds. We appreciate everything you do!
You can inspire and support the next generation to code like Alex by registering as a Code Club volunteer today.
Code Club relies on the dedication of volunteers like Alex, who lend their time and knowledge to support Code Clubs all over Aotearoa every week. The program is also made possible with help from kaiako, community educators, and librarians, as well as financial support from our sponsors.
We want to give a shout-out to Chorus for sponsoring this important kaupapa. Chorus’ generous contributions ensure that we can offer ongoing support to our network of volunteers, making our clubs safe and enjoyable for everyone involved. Thank you, Chorus, for helping our volunteers empower the next generation of creators and innovators!