Coding and Robotics program kicks off at the Stoughton YMCA
Saturday January 23rd, 3pm
Stoughton YMCA: 445 Central St. Stoughton MA
Just a few weeks ago, the Stoughton YMCA started its first Coding and Robotics class. The class, open to youth ages 11-13, teaches essential basic coding skills, and allows students to be creative in designing and programming their robots.
The demand for computer programming education has grown exponentially over the past several years as jobs in tech industries have taken off. And yet access to coding education remains out of reach for many. Not all local high schools offer classes, and private classes can be prohibitively expensive. The Y is offering beginning classes priced at $100 for members and $150 for non-members for a 10 week session. Coding is an essential skill in many industries and it is important to give all students access to that skill, regardless of their background.
Empower Yourself, an organization in Brocton with the mission of creating critical thinkers and problem solvers for the 21st century by training and inspiring under-resourced urban students, believes in the importance of offering all students access to equal education. The Stoughton YMCA got connected with Empower Yourself through Cedric Turner, their Founder and Executive Director and longtime member of the Y, and is partnering with them to make this Coding and Robotics class possible.
Through the partnership with Empower Yourself, the Stoughton Y hopes to continue offering Coding and Robotics classes to youth, expanding enrollment to more students and offering a continuum of classes that build on previous skills. As students learn to code, they are also practicing critical thinking, teamwork, and problem solving, all skills that are invaluable to students today – both inside and out of the classroom. It is inspiring to see what the students have done already over several weeks, and one can only imagine how far they’ll go for the rest of the class.
Isabel Schneider
Camp and Program Director
OLD COLONY YMCA – Stoughton Branch
781.341.2016 ext 289
www.oldcolonyymca.org