Aylesbury coding project empowers future female innovators at girls-only event

On Saturday 17 June, Robin Theakston and Charlie Gunn, best friends turned business partners, hosted a girls-only STEM coding event at their dojo, Code Ninjas, at Bucks New University.

Seeking to support gender equity in tech environments, Robin and Charlie hosted a one-off free-of-charge, girls-only STEM coding session for ages 7-14. Aiming to create a comfortable and inclusive learning environment, the girls-only session helped to introduce girls to the dojo, providing equal opportunities for girls to enter tech environments from a young age.

“Learning to code at Code Ninjas is not just about offering kids the opportunity to engage with technology, but also about equipping them with skills that will help them thrive in life,” said Robin. “It isn’t just tech careers that benefit from coding skills; the skills children learn coding shape how they problem solve, make decisions and approach tasks in all walks of life or business. We are growing the next generation of inquisitive, connected children and the more we can do to enhance their learning, the better.”

Code Ninjas Senseis led the learning and the girls tried various activities, from using block coding in MakeCode to build a video game, constructing and coding Lego Hoppers to race each other and solving a challenge on a Turing Tumble marble-based computer.

The consensus for the event was summed up by one of the girls who attended, “I absolutely loved it! Exploring the coding activities and getting to know other girls who shared the same interest was such good fun. The Lego Hoppers was definitely my favourite, and I can't wait to come back to explore more exciting coding activities!"

“It was so inspiring to see how the girls approached each of the activities in the dojo,” explained Robin. “We are committed to encouraging females into tech so being able to see girls enjoying coding and feeling confident enough to learn new skills is so important to us.”

“We are very aware of the barrier some girls have to tech,” said Charlie. “We have an equal balance of male and female Senseis at Code Ninjas Aylesbury, and we’re committed to encouraging more girls to try coding. The rate of technological change is so rapid and exposing children to tech at a young age will set them on the path to success. We are setting the scene for future generations of children in Buckinghamshire.”

Code Ninjas is a coding club for kids where 5-14-year-olds learn to code in a fun, approachable environment by playing and building video games and working with STEM activity sets such as Lego robotics and switch circuits. Robin and Charlie are committed to delivering a quality and engaging curriculum to children in the area.

This commitment was felt by the parents of the girls who attended the event, with one saying, "It was great to see my daughter having such a blast at the event. Seeing her enthusiasm and joy while engaging in coding activities made me so proud. The team provided such a supportive environment, ensuring every girl felt included. I really appreciate how Code Ninjas Aylesbury is committed to giving girls in our community the opportunity to learn and excel in coding.”

If your child is interested in starting their coding journey, visit the website here.