Lace Up for Change will mark the 2025 Coding and Robotics graduation at Dietrich Moravian Primary School on Monday, celebrating a milestone that began with a modest computer lab launched in 2021. What started as a small initiative has since grown into a vital hub for digital learning, empowering young learners with coding skills while equipping adults in the community with essential digital literacy.
Chairperson Faizel Jacobs reflected on the programme’s impact, noting that digital exposure was limited when the lab first opened.
“When we unveiled the lab back in 2021 for the Grade 7s, 1 in 10 kids knew how to use a mouse because they’re not even exposed to it,” he said. Since then, the centre has provided unemployed community members with basic computer training, including Windows and Excel. Jacobs proudly shared that two early participants “find themselves working in a call centre today, something they would not have had the opportunity to do without this.”
For learners at Dietrich Moravian Primary, the programme has opened new pathways. Despite being in primary school, many are already considering careers in IT. Jacobs believes the shift in the tech world is widening access: “Whether it’s graphic design or building a website, you can actually have a portfolio of evidence to show your skills.”
He emphasised the importance of coding and robotics in preparing youth for an evolving digital future. While acknowledging the value of higher education, Jacobs noted that success no longer relies solely on university access.
“We just need to be able to give our children access. So that their horizons can be broadened,” he said. With online tutorials and global connectivity, “the world has become a smaller place,” and community initiatives like this one can help dispel the “tunnel vision” that limits young people’s aspirations.
As Lace Up for Change celebrates this year’s graduates, the programme continues to expand opportunities one learner, and one household, at a time.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
