No Wrong Door – Perfect Partnerships
21st January 2025
A Perfect Partnership to Celebrate International Day of Education
The United Nations General Assembly has designated January 24th as the International Day of Education to highlight the importance of education in promoting peace and development. This year’s theme is “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation.” It encourages us to reflect on how education can empower individuals and communities to understand, navigate, and influence technological advancements.
We would like to spotlight a remarkable collaboration between Social Enterprise Together Reaching Higher and Glasgow Life. This partnership focuses on teaching children valuable skills that could prepare them for future careers in tech.
Both doctors, husband and wife Yaser and Radia Al-Madhagi, originally from Yemen, set up the Non-profit organisation Together Reaching Higher in Sighthill to positively impact society by offering inclusive spaces for skills development and employability. The couple has a child who is passionate about technology and gaming, and they wanted to provide a club for children to hone these skills and turn their passions into tools for future success.
They embarked on a journey to find resources and support to offer coding lessons in their local community and met Claire at The Mitchell Library. Claire leads Glasgow Life’s CoderDojo Programme, a coding club for young people. With Claire’s guidance, Together Reaching Higher, Glasgow Life and Springburn Library came together, creating a CoderDojo at their local library in northeast Glasgow. CoderDojo is a global network where young coders start their journey with simple instructions on making games and animations using Scratch, a beginner-friendly programming language. They delve into creating web pages and coding in Python and other real-world languages as they progress. The CoderDojo Program was launched in January 2024 at Springburn Library. It targets children aged 7 to 13, and over 80% of participants come from ethnic minority backgrounds
The Coolest Project
Last year, six children participated in the International Coolest Project competition, showcasing six Scratch-based projects. Building on this success, club members are expanding their skills by learning Python alongside Scratch, further strengthening their coding expertise.
“In our CoderDojo program, the children truly enjoy helping each other. Those with more coding experience eagerly assist new attendees, creating a welcoming and collaborative environment. This enhances their technical skills and helps them develop mentorship abilities. By fostering peer-to-peer learning, we empower these young coders to build confidence, take on leadership roles, and inspire others, setting a foundation for them to become future mentors and leaders.” – Radia.
Climate Ink
These children are the future. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how we work, making tasks more efficient and creating new opportunities. To adapt to these changes, people need training and skills to do well in a world shaped by AI. The introduction of AI is projected to affect jobs in every industry. Still, our tech-savvy generation, alpha and beta children, are anticipated to be immersed in AI and technology – using it to solve complex problems like climate change.
Together Reaching Higher has been working with GCVS as part of their funded Climate Ink Project.
In 2024, their young coders utilised computer technology to tackle climate change and envision solutions for saving the planet. Their innovative Scratch-based projects highlight the creative potential of youth when equipped with the right tools and mentorship.
The Future is Bright
Learning to create and solve problems with digital technologies is essential for young people, especially those from historically disadvantaged communities. Digital skills can lead to high-paying jobs in technology and other areas, helping to break the cycle of poverty and marginalisation in their communities.
“We are immensely proud of our youth’s achievements and grateful for the continued support of our partners and funders in making these impactful programs possible.” – Radia.
Due to the program’s popularity, CoderDojo has moved to a larger space in Elderpark Library, where kids can attend every second Saturday.
Click here to find your nearest Dojo Club.
Do you have an example of a perfect partnership you’d like to share? Email susan.robertson@gcvs.org.uk with your stories.
Read about other Perfect Partnerships in this series.