"Coding Tomorrow" Has Been Shown as an Example by the United Nations

Implemented by Vodafone Turkey Foundation and Habitat Association to prepare children for the digital future, the “Coding Tomorrow” project has become a global example. The project, which reached over 120,000 children across Turkey, was introduced at theWorld Summit on the Information Society organized by the UN. Mr. Hasan Süel, the Chair of Vodafone Turkey Foundation, Mr. Civan Sözkesen, the Vice Chair of Habitat Association, project participant students, and volunteer trainers participated in the online Summit as speakers. At the Summit, the "Coding Tomorrow" project's journey of the past five years and the success stories achieved were also shared.

Mr. Hasan Süel, the Chair of Vodafone Turkey Foundation , stated:

"As Vodafone Turkey Foundation and Habitat Association, we eagerly continue our 'Coding Tomorrow' project, which we launched six years ago to raise generations ready for the digital future. When we were considering how to use technology for humanity's good and respond to a social need of society, we decided to do a project first to increase people's technology literacy and their tendency to use technology, starting with children. In August 2016, in collaboration with the Habitat Association, we started to provide our children aged 7-14 with coding training, the digital world language. With our 'Coding Tomorrow' project, we aim to contribute to raising a generation that produces and does not consume. Until today, we have given coding training to over 120,000 children in 81 provinces. We feel proud of our participating children's achievements at national and international levels. In 2017, our project was shown as a global example in the 'digital literacy education' field in the global 'Connected Education' report published by Vodafone Group. Last year, our project was also among the projects entitled to benefit from the 20 million Euro fund allocated by our Group with Turkey to develop digital skills and support digital education in 13 European countries. We are pleased that our project was shown as an example to the world at the UN's World Summit on the Information Society. With this motivation, we will continue to grow our project's scope to reach more children across Turkey."

Mr. Civan Sözkesen, the Vice Chair of Habitat Association , also stated:

"As Habitat Association, we strive to work for Turkey's digital transformation and raise generations that do not only use technology but also produce it. Accordingly, the Coding Tomorrow project, which we implemented with Vodafone Turkey Foundation, continues to increase its impact on society day by day. We are excited to share with the world the positive outcomes of our contributions, primarily by enhancing our children and youngsters' coding and algorithmic thinking skills, to Turkey's digital transformation at the UN's World Summit on the Information Society. With our 632 volunteers from 81 provinces of Turkey, we are proud to provide over 120,000 children with fundamental coding training and helping them develop their algorithmic thinking skills. Regarding the future, it motivates us to witness the success of our children who met coding in many national and international events and competitions, besides training, thanks to our project. We believe that the way for our country's digital transformation is only possible by introducing our children and youngsters to technology at an early age and helping them become both the users and producers of technology. Accordingly, we will continue to touch our children's lives with our Coding Tomorrow project, raising youngsters who will become the pioneers of Turkey's digital transformation."

The project has reached over 120,000 children

Within the "Coding Tomorrow" project, children between 7-14 across Turkey receive theoretical and practical training by volunteer trainers on various subjects, including the introduction to programming, algorithm logic, application development, storytelling, and game development. Our training helps our children understand programming, work to bring out their creativity, create their imaginary worlds, and produce their games. As part of the "Coding Tomorrow", which has reachedover 120,000 children in 81 provinces to date, 6,6 million TRY of social value was obtained last year, and each investment of 1 TRY for the project yielded a social return of 4,4 TRY. With the project, it is aimed to provide coding training to 70,000 more children in 81 provinces in the future and improve children's digital competencies with various digital education topics besides Scratch training.