Powderkeg is pleased to announce that it has selected CoderDojo Indiana, an initiative of TechPoint Foundation for Youth, as the recipient of its end-of-year event donation. For the past several years, Powderkeg has chosen to support a local or global nonprofit by donating a percentage of every ticket sold to their final pitch night of the year. This year, Powderkeg donated $10 of every ticket sold to their Holiday Pitch Night, which took place on Tuesday, December 12th at the HI-FI, for a donation of $1,890. Powderkeg asked their community to help them select the beneficiary this year, tapping them to submit recommendations for the causes they are most passionate about.
“We’re so grateful to be able to support the work that CoderDojo is doing to advance computer programming education in Indiana and around the world,” said Matt Hunckler, CEO of Powderkeg. “Our members are changing the world with their innovative companies, and we know that one of the best ways to make an impact is to engage our communities locally. The Powderkeg movement started right here in Indianapolis and it’s important to us to support programs like CoderDojo Indiana that make our home city great.”
Powderkeg’s donation has been generously matched by local transportation tech company DoubleMap, increasing the total donation to $3,780.
Final Powderkeg pitch night of 2017, which took place at the HI-FI.
“CoderDojo Indiana plays an important role in our community by introducing programming to young people at an influential time in their lives,” said Ilya Rekhter, Co-Founder & CEO at DoubleMap. “DoubleMap is proud to join Powderkeg in supporting CoderDojo Indiana, and we invite other companies to join us in supporting computer science education in our state.”
This year’s recipient, CoderDojo Indiana (CDI), is a regional partnership that supports and funds free computer science education for Indiana kids. CoderDojo was founded in 2011 in Ireland by tech entrepreneur Bill Liao and aspiring developer James Whelton. Earlier this year, Powderkeg hosted a fireside chat with Bill, where he spoke to more than 200 people about the incredible growth of the CoderDojo movement in Indiana and his thoughts on the importance of coding clubs for kids.
CoderDojo coding clubs engage kids ages 7-17 in hands-on games and activities that get them excited about computer science and inspire them to consider tech or development career paths. Since 2015, the number of CoderDojos in Indiana has grown from four clubs in central Indiana to 37 clubs around the state; Indiana is now the state with the largest number of CoderDojos in the country.
“TechPoint Foundation for Youth is proud of the rapid growth and popularity of the CoderDojo Indiana initiative,” said Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TPF4Y. “Introducing students to basic coding concepts through exciting activities with the support of adult volunteers allows students to not only accelerate their interest in computer science, but also introduces them to adults who have careers in that field.”
During Computer Science Education Week, which ran from December 4th - 8th, CDI engaged 177 volunteers to facilitate Hour of Code activities for 1,200 students. This is the fourth year that TechPoint Foundation for Youth has orchestrated Hour of Code during CS Ed Week, increasing impact each year. Five schools from IPS and Pike Township hosted volunteers throughout the week and activities ranged in subject from Minecraft to Angry Birds.
CDI provides Indiana Dojos with grant opportunities and trainings, and hosts events for volunteers and students. The second annual CoderDojo Indiana Hackathon will take place on Saturday, July 28, 2018, and is open to any students looking to learn more about computer science. For more information on this event and to receive registration details when they become available, please visit http://bit.ly/CDIHackSignUp2018.