Community Stories

Mentor voices: Chidi shares the joy of coding alongside Deaf creators

Codeant Technology Hub is a Nigerian organisation with the mission to foster educational empowerment through programming. Working across Imo State, they partner with Code Club to nurture a community of curious, lifelong creators.

Codeant took up a valuable opportunity to set up a club with a group of Deaf young people and learn alongside them. For many of the young people, the club was the first time in their lives that they had used a computer.

A mentor helps a child with a laptop in a classroom, under the banner “Mentor voices” from Code Club Nigeria.
Meet Chidi

Codeant’s Co-Founder, Chidi Duru, shares insights from his time leading a Code Club for Deaf creators.

What were your first thoughts and feelings when you started planning your Code Club?

I was excited about the opportunity to unlock a new world for the young people — coding, creativity, and problem-solving. But I also felt the weight of the challenge: how do I teach coding to kids who are learning to use a computer for the first time, and who communicate differently?

I also knew there could be issues with the available infrastructure: old or slow computers, power outages, and limited access to the internet or learning aids. I was determined, though, because I believe that inclusivity in tech starts with giving everyone — regardless of ability — a fair chance to learn and grow.

How did you make your Code Club accessible for Deaf creators?

I approached it with simplicity, clarity, and accessibility in mind. First, I broke down the Code Club Introduction to Scratch project path into visual step-by-step guides so the creators could follow along independently.

To support communication, I have an experienced sign language teacher working with me, and I’m learning it myself.

A group of young creators seated at desks with laptops, attentively participating in a coding lesson. A male instructor is standing beside a projection screen, explaining coding concepts to the creators, while a female teacher uses sign language.
Sign language teacher supporting the Code Club

I also integrated live demonstrations and visual storytelling. For example, instead of saying “Make the cat move 10 steps”, we use real-life gestures and visual cues, like arrows and body movement, to help understanding. We use other non-verbal cues, like raising hands to ask for help, thumbs up for “I’m ready”, and applauding (by waving raised hands) to celebrate achievements.

These simple adaptations have made the learning environment more inclusive, interactive, and fun for everyone.

What’s it like to see the creators finish a project?

The joy is unmistakable, even without words. Their expressions say it all: wide smiles, excited gestures, clapping, and proudly showing their screens to their peers. 

Seeing them go from hesitant to confident, from passive observers to active creators, is incredibly fulfilling. You can feel their sense of ownership and pride — it’s not just about finishing a task, but about building something of their own for the first time. That confidence boost is priceless.

A group of young people, including Deaf youth, engaged in a coding club session at a table with laptops, focused on their computers and printed materials in a classroom setting.
Creators working on their projects

Do your creators solve problems in unique ways that could help others?

Absolutely. Because they process information visually and often non-verbally, they naturally approach problems in creative, out-of-the-box ways. I’ve seen them troubleshoot by mimicking sprite movements with their hands or by physically demonstrating what the code should do.

Their ability to focus on visual logic and spatial awareness is something all learners could benefit from. It’s a reminder that coding is not just about syntax — it’s about thinking, creativity, and expression.

Most importantly, they are learning that they can do hard things, and that mindset will
serve them for life.

How has this experience changed your ideas about teaching, accessibility, and tech for young people?

I have come to deeply appreciate the power of inclusive teaching, how adjusting methods to meet learners where they are can unlock so much potential.

Technology should be a leveller, not a divider. This experience has shown me that with patience, the right tools, and empathy, every child, regardless of ability, can become a tech creator. Accessibility is not an add-on — it’s a foundation for equitable learning.

A group of young people engaged in a coding class, seated at tables with laptops in a classroom setting. The environment is bright and informal, showcasing a diverse group of participants learning together.
Welcome to Code Club!

What message would you share with others who are starting a Code Club for creators with diverse accessibility requirements?

Start small, but start. You don’t need to have all the answers, just the heart to try and learn alongside your students. Inclusion is not about perfection, it’s about presence and persistence.

These creators have so much to offer. With your support, they will show you what is possible when tech truly becomes for everyone.

Inspired by Chidi to start your own journey with Code Club? Join our warm and welcoming community of mentors today! 

Mentor voices: Chris on empowering independent coders in Minnesota

We’re sharing insights from the incredible mentors who guide and inspire young coders. It’s their unique perspectives and the positive learning environments they foster that truly make these clubs thrive and help our global community grow.

Meet Chris, a passionate mentor involved with Normandale Hills Code Club in Bloomington, Minnesota, who’s building an environment where coders develop their problem-solving skills, normalise failure, and explore their creativity.

A smiling mentor named Chris from the Normandale Hills Code Club in Minnesota, promoting a positive learning environment for young coders.

Let’s kick things off by asking:

What inspired you to become a Code Club mentor?

Volunteering gave me a great excuse to lean into my computer engineering background and do something fun with my kids, who are fifth and third graders. It’s been a blast helping them and all the other kids learn more about computer science while bringing in some real-world perspectives and industry terms (like rubber duck debugging and pair programming).

What makes Code Club projects engaging for the young people in your club?

Our club did a number of simple projects to start using the micro:bits — things like creating a name badge, making pedometers, and playing the ‘Hot Potato’ game — but what really brought out the imagination and creativity of the kids was challenging them to design a game of their own.  

We brought in real-world concepts like project briefs to get them to think critically about what they wanted to build and how they wanted to approach it. Ideas ranged from simplified versions of FIFA and Madden to variations of existing party games.  

There were several moments where you could see it visibly click for one of the kids — when they realised they were not constrained by the step-by-step tutorial into building a specific thing, but had the freedom to create whatever they could dream up… which was quickly followed up by the slight fear in realising the challenge they were in for!

An illustration of a micro:bit surrounded by colorful graphics, including musical notes, party hats, and hearts against an orange background, symbolizing creativity in coding.
Engage young people in physical computing with Code Club projects that explore the BBC micro:bit

How are Code Club projects helping to ignite excitement, creativity, or lively discussion with creators?

It’s fun to see how all the different projects inspire certain kids — some have been more excited by the more visual projects, while others get joy from customising and making a project their own. 

When they were given their first option to build something of their own design, there were LOTS of questions. They ranged from trying to understand the guardrails to questioning how they were ever going to know how to code it.  

Our challenge to them was to just get started! We encouraged the kids to start writing code and test it when it was small, then write a little more and test it a little more. The emphasis was on letting the code come together iteratively, and tackling challenges as they came up instead of trying to anticipate all of them ahead of time.

What impact do you believe Code Club projects have on creators’ understanding of coding concepts?

One of the biggest benefits I see is normalising failure — even if following a tutorial, most kids make at least one mistake the first time doing a coding project. And that’s okay!  

Debugging code is a normal part of the development process, and that makes it safer for the creators to experiment, mess up, and learn along the way. My hope is that the willingness to try (and sometimes fail!) will extend into other parts of their lives and inspire them to take more risks than they may have otherwise.

How does your Code Club empower young coders to develop a sense of independence?

As the club has gone on, our young people have been given projects with less and less guidance, moving on from step-by-step tutorials to projects where they define their own problems. 

We frequently talk about the creative side of coding — how you, the coder, get to decide how to solve a problem. Your code may not look exactly like your neighbour’s. There is no one ‘right’ answer. Giving the kids the freedom to solve the problem in their own way builds a deeper sense of ownership of the solution than having everyone learning to do things exactly the same.  

We also give kids the opportunity to pair and partner with others, and put their collective brainpower to work on tackling a problem. This helps them learn alternative perspectives and broadens their understanding.

Has Chris’ story inspired you to make an impact? Join our community of passionate mentors! With active Code Clubs in over 100 countries, there’s a place for you. Ready to get started? Check out our Mentor at a Code Club page.

People gathered in a group holding Code Club signs.

Fundació Bofill: Creating inclusive Code Clubs across Catalonia

Fundació Bofill is a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering equity through education. They partner with Code Club to promote digital skills to young learners across Catalonia (an autonomous community in Spain) who might otherwise miss out.

Ellie Proffitt, Global Partnerships Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, recently chatted to Ana Holschuh Heras, Code Club Community & Research Coordinator at Fundació Bofill, to learn more about how Fundació Bofill’s Code Club network in Catalonia has grown. Read on to learn what Ellie discovered.

People gathered in a group holding Code Club signs.
The team at Fundació Bofill

Why Code Club matters

In Catalonia, only 5% of the extracurricular activities that children participate in are technology-related. What’s more, due to financial barriers, 34% of children from low-income families do not participate in any extracurricular activities, which sharply limits their access to learning opportunities.

Fundació Bofill is determined to change this. Code Club stood out to them as a brilliant way to drive such change with its free, accessible projects in a format that would suit young learners. It seemed the perfect fit — not only to bridge the digital skills gap, but also to build a community in which young people would feel empowered to shift from passive consumers of technology to active creators.

“We believe every child has the right to learn programming creatively, giving shape to their imagination.” — Claudia Iannicelli, Code Club Regional Coordinator

A glimpse into Catalonian Code Clubs

Ana and her team chose to set up their clubs in schools and communities in under-resourced neighbourhoods where access to afterschool clubs is often limited.

Fundacio Bofill now supports an incredible 110 Code Clubs across 21 municipalities. That’s over 1,518 children who are benefiting from the opportunity to learn to code, who may otherwise have been excluded. 

Three young people sat in a row looking at laptops.
Creators attending a Code Club led by Fundació Bofill

A typical club session begins with a warm welcome and a recap of the day, followed by unplugged activities that spark critical discussions on technology and its many uses. Learners then dive into programming challenges, often working in pairs, to develop their problem-solving and coding skills. Reflections and previews of upcoming activities close the session.

“We help each other and learn as a team because I think without teamwork, you can’t work well.” — Code Club participant

Fundació Bofill’s clubs run in 16-week blocks, with four distinct phases: 

  • Building a Code Club community
  • Exploring programming concepts
  • Engaging in collaborative projects
  • Having a community showcase finale

The community showcase finale is an exciting highlight for everyone. Club members show their coding projects to their families and their wider school community, with attendees also getting to learn about Scratch and programming — often for the first time. It’s a wonderful example of how Code Clubs bring people together, and can inspire everyone to engage with technology in some way.

Representation for the next generation 

At the heart of Fundació Bofill’s Code Clubs is a dedicated team of 21 club mentors, who the organisation calls ‘dinamitzadores’. Leaders like these play a pivotal role in creating safe, engaging, and inclusive learning environments where all children feel empowered to explore and innovate. 

A group of people sat and standing holding Code Club branded cushions and signs.
Code Club leaders at a training event in Catalonia 

Nearly 90% of the dinamitzadores are young women aged 20 to 30. Representation matters — 47.5% of club attendees are girls — and having female leaders in technology is a powerful way to inspire girls to see themselves in tech roles. 

“The key role of a leader is to guide rather than teach, allowing children the freedom to develop their own projects and learn from the process and mistakes.” — Marta Salvador, Code Club leader

“When you make a mistake, it’s not a failure — it’s an opportunity to improve.” — Claudia Iannicelli, Code Club Regional Coordinator 

What’s next?

Fundació Bofill achieved so much in 2024. What’s in store for 2025? 

They have three clear aims: 

  • Increase the number of active clubs and participants
  • Ensure long-term sustainability by embedding Code Club into local educational policies
  • Continue to empower children, especially girls, to see themselves as future leaders in technology

A big congratulations to Ana and all those at Fundació Bofill for their work so far. We can’t wait to see Code Club grow even further across Catalonia!

Find out more about our Global Clubs Partnership network and how you can get involved.