Tabletop experiment with Raspberry Pi. Image: goodcat/Shutterstock
Two of the largest educational coding organisations – CoderDojo and the Raspberry Pi Foundation – are joining forces to bring coding to the masses.
The CoderDojo movement has proven to be one of Ireland’s greatest digital success stories since it was founded in 2011 by a young and eager James Whelton and SOSV partner Bill Liao.
In the intervening years, the CoderDojo Foundation – officially set up in 2013 – has exploded onto the global scene, with more than 1,000 dojos across more than 60 countries, providing coding education to children with a legion of volunteers.
Now, following discussions with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, one of the other great educational coding organisations, the pair are to join forces to create a single coding giant.
The name Raspberry Pi will be familiar to many both inside and outside the world of education, as its very affordable computer boards – as cheap as €5 – have become the default device for coders and makers of all ages.
In a blog post, the CoderDojo Foundation’s executive director, Giustina Mizzoni, said that by merging the two, the organisation will be able to “reach and benefit even more young people globally by investing more time in resource development, community supports and growth strategies”.
Really exciting news from Giustina, our Executive Director, about joining forces with the @Raspberry_Pi Foundation! https://t.co/2lnGhOfMc2 pic.twitter.com/NVCqQltinV
— ☯CoderDojo☯ (@CoderDojo) May 26, 2017
Business as usual
CoderDojo will remain as an independent charity in Ireland, but the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Philip Colligan, will join its board, with Whelton and Liao becoming members of Raspberry Pi’s.
The Irish organisation will get financial and back-office support from Raspberry Pi, but the merger is still subject to approval from the Irish regulator.
“CoderDojo is one of the most important global movements to help young people learn how to get creative with technology,” Colligan said.
“I’ve seen first-hand the enormous impact that CoderDojo has had already, and I am thrilled that we’re joining forces to bring the power of computing and digital making to even more young people.”
When the merger is completed, the pair hope to have a reach of 185,000 across 100 countries.
Next month, more than 15,000 people are expected to descend on the RDS for the sixth CoderDojo Coolest Projects showcase, where kids and young people will exhibit their creations to the world.
Disclosure: SOSV is an investor in Silicon Republic
