DUBLIN: The Change Nation ‘Festival of Solutions’ is due to take place in Dublin this March, and the organisers promise attendees “a unique opportunity to discover 50 proven solutions from around the world that can change our nation, to meet the social innovators behind them, and to explore opportunities to get involved.”
In a statement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has welcomed the Change Nation initiative. “Social innovation is especially valuable because it can create radical new alliances between communities, government and business to address fundamental social and economic challenges,” he said.
One of the projects that will feature at the ‘Festival of Solutions’ is CoderDojo, a not-for-profit coding club for young computer enthusiasts that is the brainchild of 19-year-old Cork student, James Whelton.
The Epoch Times spoke to James at Dogpatch labs in Dublin last month to find out where the idea came from.
James explained that CoderDojo is a network of free computer clubs for young people. The idea is that young people can come along to a club and develop web, iPhone or whatever type of apps they wish at sessions run on a regular basis.
The idea initially came about when James was in his final year of secondary school in Cork in 2010, when he won an award for web design.
“The school called it out of the intercom like all proud schools do...so I had a couple of student come up to me saying ”that’s cool, how do I make an iPhone app, or how is a website made?“, so I asked my school if we could get a computer room and host a computer club and see what happens.”
James said he didn’t think much would come of it: maybe a couple of his friends would turn up and they could re-enact The Breakfast Club. However, 40 students signed up, and for the rest of the year, twice a week, James taught the basics of HTML, CSS, some C programming, and JavaScript. “It got to the point where people from other schools were e-mailing me asking if they could come to my school after class.”
The idea has taken all involved by surprise, with 11 Dojo’s now located around Ireland and more in New York, San Francisco, Boston and Berlin. “I was out on Arainn Mhor off Donegal last Friday opening one there,” said James.
The project really came to life after James met up with Eoin Jennings who in turn introduced him to Bill Liao, an Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist, at the 4th Dublin Web Summit last March.
James said he and Bill spoke about the idea behind the club and the socioeconomic benefits it could have.
Mr Liao told The Epoch Times that he got involved in the project because he and James could both see that a generation of kids were growing up to be users instead of creators.
“James is now focussing full time on the initiative, and he has the potential to become the next Jimmy Wales. CoderDojo is an Irish movement...that is returning a modern day type of enlightenment across the world,” explained Mr Liao.
