Pytch workshops in City Connects schools 💻🤝

Pytch are delighted to be working with City Connects in schools across Dublin’s North East Inner City.  City Connects works with schools to support students’ learning and wellbeing by building strong connections between schools, families and community organisations. Through its coordinators, City Connects helps identify opportunities that match the interests and needs of students and makes it easier for schools to engage with external partners in a joined-up, practical way.

As part of this collaboration, the Pytch team initially piloted workshops at O’Connell School, including welcoming students to Trinity College Dublin for a showcase of the creative coding work they completed using Pytch. We were particularly pleased to see teachers at O’Connell School continuing to work with Pytch independently afterwards. This reflects one of Pytch’s core aims – supporting sustainable computing activity within schools.

Since then, Pytch workshops have expanded to St Laurence O’Toole Specialist School, Larkin Community College and Rosmini Community School. Students from these schools are now preparing to come together for another showcase event in Trinity College Dublin in February.

Dr. Ben North speaks at City Connects Community Partners Breakfast 🎤

Pytch Research Fellow Dr. Ben North was one of the invited speakers at the City Connects Community Partners Breakfast held on the 14th of January.  Ben highlighted how the City Connects model has helped the Pytch team connect with coordinators, teachers and school leaders, making it easier to pilot workshops, respond to interest from schools and build relationships that work in real classroom settings.

This approach has been a genuine win for everyone, helping Pytch progress its Research Ireland Discover goal of broadening inclusion in computer science while building on the trust and local knowledge of the City Connects network. For schools and students, it has provided opportunities to be creative and to learn how software is made, not just consumed.

With thanks to our City Connects partners 🙏🌟

We would like to thank the City Connects coordinators, in particular Joy Creighton, for the work they do to make these collaborations possible. Their support allows the Pytch team to focus on spending time in classrooms, working alongside teachers and students and building creative projects together through coding.

We’re proud to be part of the wider City Connects community of partners supporting young people through meaningful learning opportunities and we look forward to continuing and strengthening this collaboration into the future.