STEMUP Educational Foundation, the non-profit organization with a focus on furthering Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) knowledge among Sri Lankan students, has been appointed the National Partner of CoderDojo in Sri Lanka. STEMUP has been handpicked for this appointment in recognition of its CoderDojo initiatives in the country that have delivered outstanding results since 2017.
CoderDojo is a global movement of free, volunteer-led, community-based programming clubs for young people from the ages of 7 to 17 where they can learn to code, build a website, create an app or a game, and explore technology in an informal, creative, and social environment. Within the CoderDojo Movement there is a focus on peer learning, youth mentoring and self-led learning. The movement aims to help young people realise that they can build a positive future through coding and community. It believes that an understanding of programming languages is increasingly important in the modern world, that it’s both better and easier to learn these skills early, and that nobody should be denied the opportunity to do so. CoderDojo is part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation family.
STEMUP Educational Foundation has spearheaded the CoderDojo initiative in Sri Lanka since 2017 by establishing the “CoderDojo Sri Lanka”. As a result, the organisation now has over 20 Dojos in different venues across the country. STEMUp has grown CoderDojo in Sri Lanka in part through its “Train the Trainer” sessions. This training initiative is empowering a network of 300 volunteers to run Dojos in their local communities. CoderDojo Sri Lanka hosts the training sessions mainly in IT centres and focuses on teaching the basics of computer programming and physical computing. CoderDojo Sri Lanka has also extended its reach to libraries in Colombo, through its CoderDojo@Libraries initiative and strategic alignment with SLT-Mobitel to host Dojos at island wide SLT-Mobitel Centers during weekends.
Commenting on the partnership, Prabhath Mannapperuma – Director of STEMUP Educational Foundation stated, “We, at STEMUP, are really excited to take our partnership with CoderDojo Foundation to the next level by becoming the National Partner for Sri Lanka. Over the years, we have put in a lot of hard work to take the CoderDojo initiative across Sri Lanka and the results have been very promising. This partnership will certainly help us to open up more opportunities for students in Sri Lanka.”
Sonja Bienert – Senior Community Manager at CoderDojo Foundation commented, “I am thrilled that STEMUP is stepping up to serve as a National Partner for CoderDojo in Sri Lanka. We have worked incredibly well together during their time as a Growth Partner, building up the CoderDojo community to offer free and accessible clubs for young people to be creative with technology. I can’t wait to see what they will achieve in their capacity as a National Partner and am delighted that the Sri Lankan community will have excellent support in country from here on in.”
The STEMUP Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and engage students to become interested in pursuing Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) degrees and careers. The organization’s mission is fulfilled through the programs and resources they offer to the South Asian community. The Foundation has educational opportunities and resources for all. Most of its resources are also offered free-of-charge as a part of the vision of becoming a national model for passionate support for STEM education.
