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A new after-school club which plans to become a “digital hothouse for young talent to grow” has launched to overwhelming demand from teenagers wanting to learn coding and IT skills.
Jersey Coders has been set up by Gwyn Garfield-Bennett - a parent frustrated by the lack of opportunity for technically minded teenagers. The club sessions which teach them how to design websites and how to code games under the guidance of mentors only started a few week’s ago but the club already has a waiting list for new members.
Mrs Garfield-Bennett said: “We have a fantastic group of mentors who are sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the club members, but we need more as I am being emailed daily by parents of teenagers wanting to get involved. We’ve got two informal groups within the club, one group is working on website design and the other is learning how to code games. We need more mentors, particularly with gaming skills, willing to give up just a couple of hours a week, to come and share their enthusiasm and knowledge with the teenagers."
Jersey Coders is completely free and is the only club on the Island aimed at teenagers. It hopes to inspire them and ensure Jersey has a strong digital future.
The weekly sessions are held on Wednesday evenings at JT who are sponsoring the club but it’ll move to Digital Jersey’s new learning hub once its set up in April.
JT’s Dave Newbold said: “This club is exactly what Jersey needs to invest in its digital future. Coding hasn’t played much of a part in the school curriculum in recent years and yet there are plenty of teenagers keen to learn. If we want to build a strong digital future for the island then we need the skilled workforce.
“The enthusiasm and energy in the club is fantastic, it is great to be able to pass on some of our experience and knowledge to youngsters who are keen to learn and innovate.”
During the year there will be competitions and prizes and the club plans to hold a Hackathon in the future.
Teenagers and anyone interested in becoming a mentor can find out more about the club at www.jerseycoders.com
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