NEWS RELEASE
CODE NINJAS
*************************
While this past school year involved new learning styles and changes around every corner, one thing stayed the same for kids as in years past – kids are beyond ready for summer break to start. To kick off the break, Code Ninjas is hosting a virtual coding Hackathon complete with celebrity judges and prizes to boot, free for all kids in Canada ages 7 to 14.
“We heard from families that kids are struggling to get through these final weeks, so we knew we needed to do something to boost excitement and give these tech-loving kids something to look forward to at the end of the year”, said Mark Diephuis, owner of Code Ninjas Barrie. He went on to say, “Our Dojo remains closed due to the pandemic, so a virtual Hackathon was something we knew we could pull off while keeping kids engaged and having fun with us”.
Hackathons are a chance for kids to bring their unique skills and technological talents to solve problems. The Code Ninjas Hackathon will challenge kids to compete using the creative problem-solving skills needed to build a video game using the programming language Scratch®. On July 3rd, competitors from across Canada will join simultaneously on Zoom, where they will be presented with the challenge, and have two hours to build the best video game they can to solve it. Kids can register for this free competition through this website: www.codeninjas.com/canadianhackathon.
This free, virtual competition will include highly sought-after 3-D printers as grand prizes as well as Code Ninjas Circuit Sets and a random draw for a drone. Prizes will be awarded based on creativity, use of coding, originality, and playability. There was overwhelming support from the tech community with volunteer judges from a range of IT companies: Nintendo, Xbox Canada, Ubisoft, SAP; experts from the education field: Juno College, TechSpark, Aquitaine and well-known tech evangelist Marc Saltzman, often seen on TV reviewing the latest devices.
All kids, regardless of coding experience, are invited to join the hackathon. If your kid is inspired to compete but has never coded, they will be invited to join one of our free game-building sessions prior to the event and we’ll have them competition-ready in no time!
Code Ninjas offers a unique educational program, geared toward teaching children computer programming through its engaging, game-based 9-belt curriculum, like a martial arts program. Working with kids ages 7-14, Code Ninjas capitalizes on kids’ love of video games, technology and play by introducing complex concepts through hands-on learning.
For more information about the Code Ninjas Hackathon, please email [email protected], or to register, visit www.codeninjas.com/canadianhackathon.
*************************
