- Cape Town’s libraries are preparing for Mandela Day by organising coding sessions aimed at youth.
- This will foster their skills in coding and prepare them for national and international competitions.
- Participants with top scores will progress to the national competition in October, with potential to compete globally in December.
The City of Cape Town’s libraries are gearing up for an exciting Mandela Day on Thursday 18 July, as they host in-house coding sessions. This initiative not only promotes coding skills among the youth but also serves as a gateway to national and international competitions.
The participants with the highest scores will advance to the national competition in October, with a chance to compete in the World Tournament in December.
“Last year saw 26 teams participating, and this year the number is expected to exceed 30. Several libraries have partnered with local schools to form teams, enhancing community collaboration and participation,” said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayco member for community services and health.
Benefits worth the while
“The winners of the library-level competitions will have their scores and times recorded in a database. The top-three teams from each area (north, south, east, and west) will then move on to the final round. The finals, scheduled for 31 July or 1 August, will feature twelve teams competing to determine the top three teams from the City of Cape Town libraries. These top teams will represent Cape Town in the national and World Tournament competitions,” says Van der Ross.
Minda Maritz, principal librarian at Goodwood Library, expressed excitement about participating in the competition. “Children between the ages of 10 and 17 can register their names at the library, then they will be divided into teams, and the teams will compete against each other on 18 July,” said Maritz.
Van der Ross shared her enthusiasm for the initiative. “We are very excited and happy to bring this fun, yet challenging initiative to the City of Cape Town’s libraries.
There is a lot of planning and hard work that goes into developing a programme on this scale to make our different communities aware of it and get them involved.The benefit for our youth makes it all worthwhile. Coding, especially the introduction to coding given during this programme, teaches our young participants core competencies such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking,” said Van der Ross.
Valuable skills in building successful futures
She added: “We teach them the basics of coding and the first steps in computational thinking, but in a playful, interactive, and engaging manner where they don’t even know they’re busy learning! This improves their logic, reasoning, and analytical thinking – all valuable skills needed in building successful futures.”
Van der Ross also highlighted the importance of coding in today’s digital world. “With massive parts of our daily lives becoming more and more digital, coding and the people who can understand and perform this complex skill will be the forerunners of innovation and technological advancements. The ever-growing demand for improved software and automation will mean coders, programmers, and developers will be in high demand for many years to come. This is why we must teach our youth these skills from an early age as it prepares them for future academic and career success in a digital world,” she told TygerBurger.
For more information about coding, visit your local library or contact info@levafoundation.org
- Adriaanse
