Exilesoft launches ‘Kids Can Code’ at DevDay SL 2016

As Exilesoft prepares to take on the honour of sponsoring DevDay SL for the fourth consecutive year, the company is pleased to announce that this time will hold a special surprise for all young 
computer enthusiasts.  
DevDay SL is a conference for all developers in Sri Lanka and features a number of experts in the field who will address the gathering on various topics on digital innovation. This year’s conference program includes a special session called ‘Kids Can Code’; a workshop designed to help children between the ages of 9-14 years to understand the basics of 
computer programming. 
“Our goal is to simply teach children how to code. We believe that a basic understanding of software engineering provides a set of fundamental skills that is vital, both to the child’s future in any industry and the future of the global economy. It’s not just about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, but also about arts: being able to think critically about problems is the first step to finding solutions. An early introduction to Computer Science is an investment in the future, by liberating the creativity of children from conventional thinking,” commented Finn Worm Peterson, CEO of Exilesoft (Pvt) Ltd.
Initiated by Exilesoft in collaboration with ICT Norway and SLASSCOM, the objective of ‘Kids Can Code’ is to build awareness among the general public about the value of computing and programming.
The workshop is a prelude to the launch of the Dev Kids Code Club in Sri Lanka. The Club will provide an opportunity for Parents and Volunteers to meet and enrich children with programming skills. This initiative has gained rapid popularity in many countries in Europe, Australia and Asia to actively teach kids to code. 
By reaching all across the country through the Club, Exilesoft hopes to share and teach kids the importance of computer programming as well as encourage a significant contribution towards the goal of national computer literacy 
by 2020. 
Elaborating further about the Dev Kids Code Club, Peterson said, “In Sri Lanka, there are initiatives to extend the concepts of coding and computer science to the school curriculum and we are happy to initiate kids coding in Sri Lanka. The coding club will be inaugurated with DevDay Developer conference and will continue every month at Exilesoft premises free-of-charge. We believe many more companies, social groups and individuals will learn from our experience and initiate more Kids Code Clubs in urban and rural Sri Lanka in the coming months and years and join the global initiative”.