Cork Families Embrace Technology Together Through OurKidsCode Initiative
The initiative brings families together through creative coding workshops in libraries and community centres across the county.
A new report has revealed the significant impact of OurKidsCode, a creative coding initiative that is transforming how parents in County Cork engage with their children's technology education. The programme, which offers workshops and clubs for families, has seen remarkable success, with mothers making up 72% of participating parents.
The OurKidsCode project, partnered with Cork County Council through Broadband Officer Dan O'Sullivan and the National Parents Council, focuses on building parents' technological confidence alongside their children through hands-on creative coding workshops held in community spaces outside school hours.
These workshops have been successfully implemented across Cork, including libraries in Bandon, Bantry, Cobh, Midleton, Mitchelstown, Skibbereen and Youghal, as well as community centres in Ballindangan, Bere Island, Castlelyons, Castletownkenneigh, Laharn, Mealagh Valley, Riverstick and Whitechurch.
Creative coding, which combines programming with arts and crafts to create interactive projects, has proven particularly appealing to Cork parents seeking to encourage their children's active creation rather than passive consumption of technology.
The initiative, funded by Research Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development, has reached 5,240 parents and children across 111 predominantly rural locations throughout Ireland. Notably, the programme has challenged gender stereotypes in computing, with females comprising 55% of all participants.
Mary O'Mahony, Cork-based OurKidsCode facilitator, highlighted the benefits she's witnessed:
“I've observed parents and children happily engaging in a shared task, having a lot of fun, and making positive connections with other families. I've seen parents and children with zero skills successfully complete a coding challenge and feel a fantastic sense of achievement.”
Dr Nina Bresnihan, OurKidsCode project lead and assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin's School of Computer Science and Statistics, emphasised the programme's commitment to increasing parental involvement in computing education, particularly in rural communities where such opportunities are often limited.
"Getting parents involved in their children's coding education can have powerful outcomes," Dr Bresnihan explained during the recent launch of the Impact Report. "Research in our new report shows how this boosts knowledge and confidence. It also sustains families engaging together in computing activities and promotes computing as a subject choice and future careers in STEAM-related fields."
The initiative includes activities where participants learn to craft their own dance mats using Makey Makeys and code computer-generated characters using Scratch, a visual programming language designed for children. Other activities incorporate micro programmable devices, Lego, and Pytch—a free web-based coding environment developed by teams from Trinity College Dublin and the Technological University of Dublin.
Founded in 2017 and based at Trinity College Dublin, OurKidsCode has built an infrastructure and partnership network with county councils across Ireland, the National Parents Council, and Microsoft Dream Space. The programme offers both facilitator-led workshops and a 'Start a Club' programme supporting the establishment of parent-led creative coding clubs for families with primary-level children.
OurKidsCode acknowledges funding from Research Ireland, the Department of Rural and Community Development, and Google.org, with partners including the National Parents Council, Microsoft Dream Space, Micro Educational Foundation, and County Councils across Ireland.
The full OurKidsCode 2021–2024 Impact Report is available to download at www.ourkidscode.ie/impact, with more information about the initiative at www.ourkidscode.ie.
