Geelong-based company the Brainary has secured a $100,000 federal grant to deliver 80 free coding and robotics sessions for young people across the region.
In collaboration with Geelong Regional Libraries Corporation (GRLC) and the Gordon’s Kitjarra Wurrun Ngeen Centre, the Brainary’s Regional Youth STEM Project will give Geelong’s youth the chance to experiment with writing code, programming robots, designing and printing 3D objects and working with virtual reality.
The Brainary will also donate technology to the GRLC and the Kitjarra Centre and provide training to staff so the program can continue after the initial 10-month period of the project.
The Brainary’s founder and director Hugh Kingsley said as coding was the new “literacy of the 21st century”, children and teens needed support to develop the skills required in an increasingly digital economy.
“It doesn’t mean everybody has to become a coder, but we need to understand how coding works,” Mr Kingsley said.
“Our job, as far as I’m concerned, is to inspire. It’s a hands-on project; have a bit of a tinker, get your hands dirty, find out what it’s like and hopefully think, gee, I didn’t realise it was this easy, or I didn’t realise you could make a career out of this.”
Mr Kingsley said a digitally literate population would help keep the Geelong and broader region competitive as the economy continued to embrace technology.
“It’s really about being competitive; being a regional location, it’s easy to fall behind the major cities,” he said.
The Regional Youth STEM Project’s first session will be held at the Kitjarra Centre at the Gordon TAFE at 12pm on Monday, July 31. Visit thebrainary.com/stem-maker-project for more information on later session dates and locations.
