He wā pīataata – Time to shine

This week marks Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu | National Volunteer Week in Aotearoa NZ, and we’re celebrating the hundreds of volunteers and club leaders who lend their time every week to support and inspire the next generation of Kiwi kids to code. Tūao Aotearoa Volunteering New Zealand leads this national event, which runs from June 18–24 June. This years theme is He wā pīataata - Time to shine!

Code Club volunteers are an essential part of the Code Club initiative. The network includes parents, teachers, industry experts, librarians, university graduates, community leaders and former Code Club students from all over the country. These volunteers are united in their dedication and willingness to lend an hour of their week to teach tamariki how to make games, websites, interactive stories and robotics using code. The positive impact of their mahi on the students is vast; the children are learning valuable digital & problem solving skills and a potential life-long interest in coding is discovered.  

Code Club also has a positive impact on the lives of volunteers; those without previous experience coding are learning new digital skills and the many who come from a tech background are given an opportunity to build their collaborative and communication skills.

Code Club Program Coordinator Siobhán shares:

“We have a lot of interest from industry experts who want to give back to their communities by teaching a subject they feel comfortable with, while at the same time not necessarily feeling confident delivering the sessions. Code Club allows these volunteers to build confidence and improve their social skills. It’s also great for team bonding!”

There are plenty of reasons why people from all different walks of life volunteer for Code Club. Rebecca, a parent, is motivated because she could see the impact Scratch was having on her own child:

“George always had difficulty with his literacy until his teacher noticed a significant improvement when using Scratch to make animations and tell stories. While helping George at home I discovered I wanted to use these new skills to help other children, so I enrolled as a volunteer at a local library! Seeing the children progress from exploration to creation is incredibly rewarding.”

Volunteering at a Code Club provides the perfect opportunity for personal growth and development, for both volunteers and students. It allows everyone involved to gain valuable skills and experience outside their usual routines and comfort zones. A huge mihi to all of our incredible Code Club volunteers!

If you would like to join the kaupapa you can find out more at codeclub.nz