CoderDojoAnvil Anniversary Kickoff

CoderDojoAnvil is the largest dojo in Indiana and one of the largest dojos in America, founded by sisters Farhat (Farah) and Doonyah Alucozai in 2015. Located on the campus of Purdue University, their Dojo has served 200 families over the past year with the mission of giving back to the local communities and to inspire others by promoting STEM education.

The sisters themselves attend every session and work hard to recruit sponsors and plan activities each month with their team. “Our organization has set the foundation to being a model for other Dojos that have a similar genetic make-up; university-towns, tech communities, etc.“

In August 2016, CoderDojoAnvil hosted its Anniversary Kickoff Event that served two main purposes. In Doonyah’s words:

“The event allowed us highlight the efforts made over the past year by our dedicated volunteers, staff, mentors, and participating families as well as served as an opportunity to introduce everyone to our goals for the future.”

The sisters are passionate about growing their program in the local community and using its success to reach further milestones. In Farah’s words, “We have ambitious goals that involve us being a sustainable pillar in our area, as the CoderDojo that exposes children in both the West Lafayette & Lafayette community and beyond to STEM. Our dojo’s success is directly because of our dedicated team, sponsors, and families who share our vision.”

 

One challenge for CoderDojoAnvil has been facing is keeping up with student demand. In the past few months CoderDojoAnvil has been forced to turn away a few potential new members due to financial constraints. Through building new partnerships with local businesses and interactive fundraising events, the Alucozai sisters hope to develop the funds necessary to never have to turn away a family.

 

The Alucozai sisters are also currently working with TechPoint Foundation for Youth, Eleven Fifty Academy and CoderDojo Foundation to create CoderDojo Indiana. This new regional partnership will focus on supporting the growth of the CoderDojo movement across the state of Indiana. As an active member of this partnership, CoderDojoAnvil will collaborate to replicate their successful model throughout Indiana and to attract additional resources and support for their Dojo that services the West Lafayette and Lafayette community.

For more on CoderDojoAnvil see their website, follow them on twitter @coderdojoanvil or find them on Facebook, where you can see more photos from their anniversary event.

Thank you to over 100 families who came to our kickoff celebration today! #coderdojo #coding #stem #cdaKickoff2016 pic.twitter.com/7LyY4oYBCs

— CoderDojoAnvil (@CoderDojoAnvil) August 20, 2016