Course to help young innovators

Venture Centre co-founder Pascale Hyboud-Peron (left) and Steven Vincent

A new technology-based workshop for children has been set up in Tauranga in a bid to help the next generation of Kiwi innovators.

Venture Centre will this week launch a series of computer coding workshops aimed at helping children use and apply technology to solve problems.

The initiative, called Codebrite, will see workshops held for children aged 8 and up at Venture Centre's Basestation in Durham St, starting this Thursday, with additional sessions on January 16, 19, 20 and 21.

"If we encourage our kids to programme the technology, see each digital device as a tool rather than just a passive entertainment source, they will have an incredible opportunity to use it to solve a massive range of problems," said Venture Centre co-founder Pascale Hyboud-Peron, the lead organiser.

"Whether we like it or not technology is here to stay, it's everywhere," she said. "The aim of the Codebrite workshops is to grow Tauranga's own innovators."

Ms Hyboud-Peron said interested children would get a good taste of what was possible if they came to one session. Attendees can go to a maximum of three sessions, allowing them to explore more if they are interested after the first session, while leaving room for as many as possible to take part.

The event has been initiated and supported by Emlyn Hatch, strategic planner at Tauranga City Council, who was inspired to develop Codebrite after seeing the success of Hour of Code, a global community event which Venture Centre's team organised locally last year with volunteers and attended by almost 70 children and their parents.

Mr Hatch said Project Tauranga was proud to kick off an exciting and future-focused initiative. "It was a no-brainer. Tauranga City Council's Project Tauranga should maintain the momentum and get a fun summer activity started centred around technology," he said. "Delivering two-hour sessions of fun activities each day is a good way to get the ball rolling."

Mr Hatch said he saw computer programming as a new literacy of the digital age, and important to Tauranga's future.

The Institute of IT Professionals and CodeAvengers - an organisation that produces resources to help learning code - plus Project Tauranga and one of its partners Powerco - have all got behind the initiative.

"Their support provides sponsorship and a pool of enthusiastic people with the skills and patience to help children using their digital devices as a tool," Mr Hatch said.