Edison Teens On A Mission To Teach Coding To Children

EDISON, NJ — Back in 2014, sisters Shubhi and Shriya Upadhyay attended a CoderDojo coding session in Manhattan, NY. They were 9-years-old at the time.

The sisters found they enjoyed attending the session as it helped them relax. CoderDojo is a volunteer-led community that provides free coding workshops for young people between the ages of 7 to 17.

Shubhi and Shriya loved being part of the “coder community.” They wanted to bring the same sense of community to other children who enjoyed or were interested in coding.

They then decided to start their own chapter of the CoderDojo community closer to home in Edison, that would emulate a similar setting as the one in New York.

Two year later, February 20, 2016, Shubhi and Shriya hosted their first bimonthly session at the Clark Public Library.

Today, the juniors from John P. Stevens High School have a website dedicated to teaching coding to other children.

“Students who come to us usually range from ages nine to 14. Sometimes we'll get younger students,” said Shriya.

Shubhi, who is her twin, said their programs are easy and simple.

“We just want them to have fun and learn new things. At the end of the day, we don't want it to be like a replica of a school,” she said.

The sisters teach 15 to 20 children per session. Sometimes it’s more, especially since the classes are online.

Their parents, who work in the field of computer science, encouraged their passion for coding since a young age.

“We really like teaching because we like the idea of spreading our knowledge and helping other people learn things that we had the privilege of learning,” said Shubhi.

“Coding is the future,” she said. “And we want to help as many people get into the field of technology.”

Session are held bi-monthly, on Saturdays for two hours, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For the teens, teaching others how to code actually helps them practice their own skills.

“We're so into the more advanced jargon of it now that we forget the basic fundamentals of it. And it just helps us remind ourselves of the basic skills of coding when we help others,” said Shriya.

But sometimes, teaching online poses its own challenges.

“Because you're not there in person, you can't just point at the code,” said Shubhi. “Also, attendees used to be able to help each other because they were physically sitting next to each other.”

Apart from running their own project, the sisters are varsity tennis players for their school. They love skiing in the winter and hiking and camping in the summer.

“I know that our session don’t really have a big impact, but we are glad to be helping kids stay engaged especially during the pandemic,” said Shubhi.

To learn more about the coding workshops the students offer, visit their website: http://www.coderdojoclarkediso...

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