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youth coding

Our free, after school youth coding program is designed to take students from zero coding experience to understanding the basics of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in 12 weeks. We believe in making learning practical and fun, so our students learn how to code by building computer games.

– Walter Gombarume, Head of Education at Uncommon.orgshapes uncommon
When a student learns how to code, they’re not just becoming better programmers, they’re becoming better learners.

– Walter Gombarume, Head of Education at Uncommon.org

why everyone should learn to code

The language of the future is code, and the future is now. Here are a few of the main reasons why everyone, especially children, should be learning how to code:

problem solving skills

At its core, coding is about solving problems. Learning how to think critically and logically about challenges are skills programmers carry with them for life.

teaches creativity

Coding is all about experimenting, creating and imagining solutions to problems that one can try to solve in real-time. Programmers are constantly challenged to think outside the box.

encourages persistence

Computer science is one of the few professional disciplines where it’s entirely acceptable to be near-constantly failing. Learning resilience at an early age is key for long-term success.

Uncommon Bootcamp Design

uncommon methodology

Our goal is to make each class thought provoking, practical and fun.

We train our instructors in the Socratic Method, teaching them to ask questions rather than lecture. And we believe in learning by doing, so our students will learn how to code by building computer games.

Uncommon Bootcamp Design

curriculum overview

Over 12 weeks, students will learn the following core computer science concepts by building computer games.

Fundamental to controlling the flow of execution in a program, Conditional Statements are like rules that tell a computer to do something, only if something else is true.
Mathematics helps computer scientists solve problems and understand how computers work by using numbers, patterns and logic.
Variables are like containers in a computer program that hold different kinds of information, such as numbers or words, which can change as the program runs.
Loops are like a magic trick in computer programs that repeat a certain set of instructions over and over again until a specific condition is met.
Functions are like special recipes in a computer program that group together a bunch of steps or instructions to perform a specific task, making it easier to use and reuse them whenever needed.
Data Types are like different kinds of containers in a computer program that hold specific types of information, such as numbers, words, or true/false values, to help the computer understand how to work with various data.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are like super-smart robots and wizards in the world of computers. They help computers learn from data and make decisions on their own, just like how humans learn from experience and make choices.

the tools we use

Our goal is to make learning how to code fun and approachable, not scary or intimidating. So we use tools designed with exactly that in mind.

Scratch is a drag-and-drop coding program built by world-class educators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Translated into 100+ languages and used by millions of learners all over the world, Scratch is the premier tool designed to help anyone get started on their computer coding journey. Recommended age 7+

WoofJS was designed to be the perfect bridge between Scratch and JavaScript. The team behind WoofJS took the Scratch coding blocks and gave them text-based code that could be easily written by new learners. Going from dragging and dropping code blocks to writing JavaScript can be daunting - WoofJS makes it easy and fun! Recommended age 14+

our motivation

We’re on a mission to help every child in Zimbabwe learn how to code and we know we can’t do it alone.

Our team works tirelessly to build solutions and create custom partnerships with educational institutions of any size. Whether you’re a large government school or a small private school, we would love to work together to introduce coding into your classrooms.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

get in touch to bring coding toyour school today

While our after school programs are entirely free for our partner government schools, we offer paid courses to private & charter schools to help subsidize the costs of our free program. Please get in touch if you’d like to bring coding to your school.

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