Public Libraries of New Zealand has successfully secured $160,000 of funding from the Unlocking Curious Minds fund which is aimed at getting young people more involved with science and technology.
The funding win will see Public Libraries of New Zealand partnering with Hutt City, Porirua and Wellington City Councils and social enterprise Gamefroot to deliver coding workshops in Dunedin, Gisborne, Wanaka, Nelson, Timaru, Lower Hutt, Wellington and Porirua public libraries.
The workshops represent a significant addition to work already being done by public libraries to develop digital fluency, equipping the workforce with the digital skills needed to help New Zealand prosper.
The Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund was implemented as a pilot in 2014 and supports projects aimed at enhancing the engagement of “harder to reach” New Zealanders, in particular young people (aged 18 years and under) with science and technology.
The funding win will see workshops being held in libraries across New Zealand. Activities will include workshops for children and young people with a celebration of their success at the end of the week through a “show and tell” event where they can showcase their work to the wider community.
“Train the trainer” events are also planned, with the aim being to help people gain the skills needed to teach coding workshops within their communities.
The workshops build on the Government’s investment in ultra-fast broadband and Gigatown projects.
According to Public Libraries of New Zealand’s executive director, Tim Antric, the win is great news for libraries, young people and their communities:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for libraries to demonstrate the role they play in developing young people. It also ensures libraries play a major part in ensuring young New Zealanders can fully participate in our digital future.”
