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Electronic newspaper "15min" shares:

"More Children in Lithuania Will Learn to Program Free of Charge

Saturday, March 3rd, first free of charge creative technologies academy for children ages 7-12 'Sourcery for Kids" grew twice in size and expanded to the reagions. There are 200 new participants: half of them - in Kaunas, and the half - in Raseiniai, Plunge and Klaipeda. Overall there are 416 children currently attending classes.

It is the first expansion since starting the program in September 2017. In Kaunas 96 new students joined 185 already participating, in Sakiai - there are 8 new children. Academy opened it's doors for the first time in Raseiniai (24 children), Plunge (30 children) and Klaipeda (42 children). New locations are inviting children from the Day Centers. Expansion is explained more in the infographic below.

„Sourcery for Kids“ is an initiative of software development company "Devbridge Group" based in the USA. They invite children to discover the creative technologies world, to develop their problem solving skills, work on logical concepts, creative thinking and technology integration. Program's long term goal is to increase the amount of students entering IT specialties in 10 years by 10 times. This year the Kazickas Family Foundation joined the initiative contributing $50,000 to the program. According to the foundations representatives, "Such collaboration is just one example how industry and charitable foundations can cooperate to touch even the youngest of children to prepare them for the future. It is our belief that the success of Lithuania to compete in the fast changing pace of our world today rests in those youth who participate in this program. We hope that as they grow, they will remember the generosity of others and contribute to our society and especially to those less fortunate then them," shared John Kazickas. „Sourcery for Kids“ initiator, „Devbridge Group“ vice president Viktoras Gurgzdys emphasized the goals that unite the company with social partners.

„Programming is no longer the language of the future. It is the language of modern progress, so many different work fields use it. New generation is growing up right in the middle of new technologies breakthroughs. In this academy we raise technology creators, not just its users. It is the base for any successful perspective carreer," shares V. Gurgzdys. In Kaunas and Sakiai children were accepted to the program through the public registration that was announced back in summer of 2017. In Raseiniai, Plunge and Klaipeda children from Day Centers were invited to the program. Space is limited. Academy continues to grow. Each town will announce the opportunity to register children to new classes separately, after all the children currently waitlisted join. Children ages 7-12 attend the academy every Saturday for 2 academic hours during the entire school year. Program's mentor teaches groups of 8-9 children programming basics and creative technologies.

„Sourcery for Kids“ participants learn according to the unofficial educational program standards provided by „bit&Byte". This program teaches not just the very first steps of programming, but also encourages creativity, independence, curiosity and other important skills crucial to so called "future" professions. Children learn how to create new technologies, use skills necessary for jobs in technolgies industry: design, portable electronics, 3D, animation, virtual reality, developing games. "Devbridge Group" - is a software development company based in Chicago with a team of over 320 employees in Chicago, Toronto, Kaunas, Vilnius and London offices. Their clients - financial, technology and manufacturing companies all over the world, such as „Grainger“, „Morningstar”, „Fitch”, „Louis Dreyfus”, „John Deere” and others."

Photo: Courtesy of Devbridge Group / Sourcery for Kids