Take a sneak peek inside Chandler’s Ford’s very first kids coding dojo!
On Saturday 19th September, Code Ninjas Chandler's Ford celebrated its grand opening. The brand-new coding centre, located at The Mall on Winchester Road, opened its doors to a crowd of excited young ninjas. Owner, George Siatos, was determined to make it a day to remember for Chandler’s Ford’s first coding centre.
Dad of two, George, tried to find a local coding centre for his kids after visiting LA and seeing how much the students there enjoyed the Code Ninjas programme. After having no luck, he decided the only other option was to open one himself. "Code Ninjas will be a breath of fresh air to parents who want something different for their kids than what's offered in traditional education and after school clubs.
"Coding is more important than ever before. Billionaires like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Bill Gates all took part in computer programming at young ages, so it's easy to see how exposing children to these sorts of opportunities will benefit them."
At Code Ninjas dojos’ the ninjas - what Code Ninjas call their students - learn to problem solve using STEM education. Other skills that ninjas learn, in the parent free environment, are problem-solving, individual thinking, teamwork and communication.
"Kids have missed so much school due to the lockdown, so Code Ninjas offers them the opportunity to learn in a comfortable environment. We can help our ninjas catch up on valuable learning they may have missed, whilst also making sure they’re having the most fun possible!”
One parent in attendance said, "I believe computers are the future. My son was amazing with the circuits. I work for an IT firm and even I was struggling to get to grips with what he was able to do. It's so important for them to learn this stuff early on so they can compete in the job market in later life."
A second parent said, "Seeing as my son has autism it's sometimes difficult to bring him to new places because he gets really anxious around new people. The team here were so relaxed and friendly, which put him at ease. I was shocked at how calm the environment made him feel. The team were very good with him and so helpful. He responded really well to the coding activities, and it filled me with joy to see him feeling confident and part of a team."
George aims to deliver a curriculum that built on two key commitments-
1. Teaching kids to code in a fun environment
2. Providing parents with a convenient service.
"Ninjas can attend up to two sessions a week and can do them at times that work for the whole family. You don't have to attend sessions on the same day and time every week either. The sessions include CREATE, which kids aged 7-14 can work through after school and on weekends. We also offer coding camps over the school holidays from Monday to Friday, and we will also host birthday parties and 'Parents Night Out' events," said George.
The studio is also helping the community in terms of youth employment, having already taken on eight college and university students as senseis. To sign up or find out more about Code Ninjas, Visit:
www.codeninjas.com/locations-list/gb/ham
-Ends-
Editors notes:
For more information, or to speak with George Siatos, contact Kelly Ayres at Rev PR on 07895 876745 or email kelly@revpr.co.uk
Images available: A hi-res photo of the Code Ninjas Chandler’s Ford Sensei team.