Why Your School Needs a Code Club

Your school needs a Code Club!

Our nationwide network of volunteer-led coding clubs has a simple goal: to give every Kiwi kid the opportunity to learn to code. Clubs are hosted in community venues and resources and projects are provided. Tamariki work through exciting and stimulating challenges to expand their thinking and take their digital tech skills to the next level.

Schools are fantastic host venues for Code Clubs, making them easily accessible to school-aged tamariki. All you need is a willing volunteer leader and a space where the club can meet— and if that’s not enough to convince you to offer this fantastic opportunity to your community in 2025, here are a few more:

Code Clubs empower students with skills for the future

Digital technology skills are hugely valuable for all tamariki. The future is digital, and whether or not they choose a career in tech, a good understanding of computing principles will serve them well in day-to-day life. 

And if they do choose a tech career? The sector in Aotearoa is fast-growing, currently accounting for 8% of the country’s GDP and offering salaries above the national average. To host a Code Club is to offer an advantage in this opportunity-filled field.

Code Clubs foster creativity, collaboration, and community

This one needs little explanation: bringing tamariki together to work in teams and solve problems is beneficial in myriad ways. Code Clubs provide more than just coding; they are an opportunity to make friends and nurture creativity and communication skills.

Code Clubs connect students within the industry

Attending a Code Club can be a step in the door for tamariki with a future in the tech industry! There’s no requirement for our leaders to be experienced in tech, but many are; their passion for tech is part of their decision to volunteer. The clubs can be a fantastic first step in a journey towards a lucrative and stimulating tech career.

Code Clubs support digital literacy and tech confidence

With the DTHM curriculum well established in schools and the world becoming increasingly digital, the skills offered at Code Club will be a huge advantage to tamariki. Today, we use computers and the internet for banking, socialising, accessing services, paying bills, work, and more. What might the world look like tomorrow? A strong foundation of computer skills will serve anyone well.

Code Clubs are fun

Plain and simple. We aren’t chaining kids to computers and making them look at screens full of binary code; Code Clubs involve fun and engaging challenges that tamariki solve collaboratively. Some use devices; others are unplugged ones which demonstrate computational thinking. There is plenty of variety and excitement.

Code Clubs are helping to bridge the digital divide.

For the kids involved, the last point might be the most important, but for the team at DFA, it’s this one. Any educator should be concerned about the divide between the tamariki in their classrooms, with some well-equipped to navigate a digital world while others are disadvantaged due to their circumstance. Hosting a Code Club at your school is providing opportunities to those who need them.

Interested in opening doors for your students and hosting a Code Club in your kura? Find out more here and get the ball rolling.