Science World receives federal grant to teach 17,000 kids to code

Science World is about to take its educational programming one step further.

MP Hedy Fry announced yesterday (January 24) that TELUS World of Science will be the recipient of $693,000 in federal funds to teach young people in Vancouver Centre coding and digital skills.

With its burgeoning tech economy, many new positions in B.C. will require digital literacy. The grant will support Science World’s new Tech-Up programs, which aim to equip 17,000 young people with the education and passion necessary to fill future jobs in the province.

Science World will use the funding to build on its current B.C.-wide outreach programs for students and teachers, and integrate specific coding and computational-thinking activities into those courses.

The money will be split between four key areas:

Scientists & Innovators in Schools: Real STEM professionals will be invited to elementary and high schools to inspire students’ interest in pursuing science and technology.

Super Science Club: Inner-city children and at-risk youth from grades 1-7 will have the chance to attend a safe, after-school science club with the goal of developing their interest in coding and science.

Hands-On Workshops: Tech-Up will support Science World in developing in-school workshops for multiple grades that will use technology to apply the methods of computational thinking.

Tech-Up Library Kits: Students will be coached in computational thinking and digital skills as they build discovery kits.

Parts of the grant will provide new resources for educators, and will help fund professional development courses on the best ways to teach digital literacy.

“This is great news for the young people in my riding. Vancouver Centre has long fostered a culture of innovation, and for this reason I am pleased to award funding today to Science World. This investment will allow Science World to continue to ignite the dreams of Canadian youth, but also provide our young people with the digital skills needed to succeed in future employment,” said the Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry in a press release.

The money is awarded as part of the CanCode initiative, a program that will invest $50 million over two years to support educational opportunities in the digital space for children from kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12). It aims to promote students’ interest in science and technology, with the goal of helping to address the country’s need for more programmers, scientists, engineers, and technicians.  

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