Dojos Cooperating with Local Tech Companies

Local Tech companies can provide invaluable insight into how children perceive STEM careers. Visiting businesses that utilise creative technologies can provide inspiration and role models to children, particularly those who do not know adults involved in the sector beyond CoderDojo.

Businesses can cooperate with local Dojos as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. Engaging children in the real life experiences of tech companies ensures children who wish to pursue this area can see a direct way into becoming future engineers, developers and tech entrepreneurs. It can also enhance company culture in relation to the family-friendliness of the organisation, as parent-child events can be supported by working with Dojos. One organisation who has done this is CipherTechs in Kilkenny.

On April 30th, 18 Ninjas & Mentors from Kilkenny CoderDojo came to visit Ciphertechs EU’s office to spend time undertaking a workshop and discussing issues in and around Cyber Security during Engineer’s Week 2016.

Activities included discussions on current trends: Ransomware, User safety online, and Cost of Cybercrime to the Irish Economy. Workshops on Security issues in relation to CLI (Command Line Interface), IP (Internet Protocol), and DNS (Domain Names Session) were undertaken. Followed by a Questions and Answers session initiated by the Ninjas.

James Savage and Damien Donnelly from the Ciphertechs team welcomed the Ninjas to the CyberSecurity Jam.

James is a Security Intelligence Analyst and is also a mentor at the Kilkenny CoderDojo. Damien is EMEA SOC manager and has links to the CoderDojo in Kilkenny and in Co. Cork. “As part of Ciphertechs’ corporate and social responsibility, we are delighted to develop a relationship with our local branch of CoderDojo,” said Savage.

Two Members of Coderdojo Kilkenny also presented their award winning Scratch Projects to the group. The projects, which were both inventive and imaginative, were based on interactive quizzes and games and each won Tech Week’s “Special Scratch Award“ at the National Competition in April 2016. Both Ninjas – Killian & Conor spoke to the group confidently and showed off their work with pride. Well done guys!

General Manager Ciphertechs EU Mr. Laurence Conroy – “Ciphertechs EU is delighted to host our visitors from CoderDojo Kilkenny. The future is very bright. The Ninjas who attended today’s session will hopefully continue to pursue their knowledge journey & become the next generation of engineers, architects & security operatives in relation to building, maintaining & securing the ecosystem of the Internet of Things (IoT).”

Mentor James Savage “I am delighted that CoderDojo Kilkenny visited us at our security operations center. Thanks to all the Mentors for helping to coordinate this event. My personal highlight was the questions and answers session with the Ninjas. On behalf of the CoderDojo, thanks to Ciphertechs for championing the event”.

Thanks to all those who ensured the visit went so well. Hopefully we will see more tech companies, like CipherTechs, engaging with their local Dojo. Thereby ensuring children, particularly those who have been traditionally excluded from the sector, can gain real insight into STEM careers and feel inspired to continue creating tech into the future.

 

Lovely feature of our recent club visit to @CipherTechs EU on page 23 of this week’s paper Thanks @KKPeopleNews! pic.twitter.com/jEfFwdH1rs

— CoderDojoKK (@CoderDojoKK) May 11, 2016