Crack the Code Challenge teaches foundational coding skills and offers the chance for students to win prizes

CALGARY, AB, Jan. 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadian youth have the opportunity to get a start in the world of coding and be celebrated for their efforts through MindFuel's Crack the Code Challenge, which launches on January 15.

MindFuel, a pioneer non-profit in the online learning space and STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) programming, aims to engage youth in the world of STEM, innovation and entrepreneurialism starting with its signature coding platform, Codingville.

Thanks to support from AltaML as the national partner and ATB Financial as the Alberta regional partner, MindFuel's Crack the Code Challenge is designed to teach youth the foundational skills of coding, which have vast applications in future post-secondary journeys and careers, and provides them the tools to code their very own app or game.

"This is a great way to introduce students to a very valuable skill that can unlock opportunities for them, while also having the chance to win great prizes," says Cassy Weber, CEO of MindFuel. "Coding has so many applications, but it is not always addressed in school curriculums. The Crack the Code Challenge encourages students to learn coding and ignite a deeper passion for STEM and innovation. These are our future innovators and leaders, and it all starts with early engagement and giving them the right tools to be successful."

"With our focus on helping Canadian business leaders adopt and implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) within their organizations, we recognize the value of and need for building home-grown talent in coding and digital skills. We are excited to support the Crack the Code Challenge and watch the leaderboard light up", says Cory Janssen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of AltaML.

"At ATB Financial, we believe making it possible for young people today to build the skills of tomorrow is crucial, both to improve their career opportunities and to contribute to Alberta's emerging tech sector," said Tara Lockyer, Chief People Officer, ATB Financial. "At the same time, this challenge benefits us all by making it possible for youth to solve real-world problems like creating an app for teens to track their health and wellness."

• The Crack the Code Challenge is open to Canadian youth ages six to 18 (excluding Quebec residents) currently enrolled in the Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum.
• The challenge features three rounds: January 15 to February 1, February 8 to March 1, and March 5 to March 26.
• Participants will compete in one of three national age groups: six to eight years, nine to 13 years, and 14 to 18 years. Prizes will be awarded to the top three participants in each age group per round.
• Each round has a designated theme to inspire participants' creativity.

To register, participants can create a free account with Codingville to enter the challenge. Participants will compete to earn points and rank on a national leaderboard by completing coding journeys, sharing the referral code and "liking" participant projects, and finally, developing their own app according to the round theme.

Prizes will be awarded at the end of each round and include chromebooks, laptops & gaming laptops, and more. A panel of judges will use a scoring rubric to score the applications/games, which will be combined with the leaderboard points to determine the winners of each round. To view all rules and regulations, visit https://www.codingville.ca/crack-the-code.html.

Codingville is a $6M two-year project within the national CanCode initiative and provides three training journeys, each with up to 15 hours of coding and digital skills development training through self-paced, gamified, experiential activities for students. At the end of each journey, students can create and share their very own applications/games. To date, Codingville has introduced coding to over 10,000 Canadian students since its launch.

To register for a free Codingville account, visit www.codingville.ca. Registration for round one of Crack the Code Challenge will open on Codingville on January 15, 2021.

About MindFuel

MindFuel is a registered charity, established in 1990, focused on creating future generations of innovators and problem-solvers. As a digital literacy and online learning pioneer, MindFuel is helping Canada diversify its economy through a focus on online STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education resources and in-field learning. Recognized with many awards of excellence, MindFuel supports teachers with 21st century learning resources and helps immerse students in the fun world of STEM through blended learning, which includes both digital and hands-on activities, critical to advancing Canada's Innovation Agenda. MindFuel places a large emphasis on empowering girls, Indigenous youth and students in rural and remote regions to pursue studies and careers in STEM. In 2019-20, MindFuel programming reached hundreds of thousands of students across Canada in both French and English and is used in over 170 countries around the world.

For more information, please visit mindfuel.ca.

SOURCE MindFuel

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