More than 100 high school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds were taught web literacy at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and shared skills and tools to learn about the web in their communities.
The lessons were about changing pupils’ negative mindsets that their communities are infested with drugs, gangsterism and poverty.
UWC Mozilla Tech Club has collaborated with Africa Code Week to host the initiative.
The Tech Club spokesperson, Janine Anthony, described the workshop as exciting
“We taught young children from our @mozlearn clubs and local communities the basics of programming, empowering our future leaders with the coding tools and skills they need to thrive in the digital era,” said Anthony.
The regional co-ordinator and head of department of the information systems department, Dr Mmaki Jantjies, is the driving force behind the Tech Club, assisting and providing guidance in previously disadvantaged communities.
The mission of Africa Code Week was to spread awareness that coding is indeed the literature of the digital age, stated Anthony, adding that the initiative was a “new language for children to speak fluently and express themselves in the 21st century”.
“We are very proud that we can contribute to South Africa’s growth, in terms of investing in our youth and the future leaders of tomorrow,” she said.
Anthony will, in the foreseeable future, also be representing the UWC Mozilla Tech Club at the Mozilla Festival in London.
The festival takes place annually and its attention is tuned towards digital media, welcoming journalists and newsroom coders into the fold.
Anthony will also be facilitating a glimpse into how she works with pupils from the Perseverance High School, which is in a crime infested community.