Eugene’s Digital Dojo Coding Team Project was named the Community Broadband Digital Equity Project of the Year this week by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Board of Directors.
The Dojo launched last year, in the fall of 2014, as a pilot program partnership between Lane Community College (LCC), the City of Eugene, and Eugene School District 4J, with significant volunteer support from local computer science industry experts and the University of Oregon.
Located in Lane Community College’s Downtown Campus, the Dojo is a nationally connected and locally developed, open-source computer coding program enabling elementary, middle and high school students from the region to receive code training appropriate to their age, in a college environment. The program aims to create an interest in the field of computer science early in a student’s school career – especially among girls and underrepresented youth.
Since 2007, NATOA has been recognizing exceptional leaders and innovative programs that champion community interests in broadband deployment and adoption in local communities nationwide. Recipients will receive their awards at NATOA's 35th Annual Conference, to be held in San Diego, California, in September.
The Digital Dojo partnership brings together instructional specialists with expertise in computer science from the local computer industry, LCC and 4J. Workshops are held in a state-of-the-art classroom in LCC’s Downtown campus with funding from City of Eugene telecommunications project program funds. Students can receive information about, and sign up for, sessions at the Eugene Region Coder Dojo meetup site at http://www.meetup.com/Eugene-RegionCoderDojo-Hub/.