Youth invited to participate in the Santa Ana Library’s Hour of Code this week

City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana Public Library Invites Youth to Participate in “Hour of Code!”

Santa Ana, CA – The Santa Ana Public Library recently received a $25,000 grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to pilot coding programs for youth and young adults in the City of Santa Ana! The Santa Ana Public Library is one of 28 libraries nationally to receive a grant from Libraries Ready to Code, an initiative of the American Library Association sponsored by Google, promoting early development of Computer Science (CS) and Computational Thinking (CT) skills in young people around the globe!

International Computer Science Education Week kicks off programming events on Monday, December 4, 2017 and will wrap up on Sunday, December 10, 2017. The Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) is an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest and engage in computer science through free, introductory activities sponsored in communities around the world (https://csedweek.org/about).

The Santa Ana Public Library has prepared several of its facilities in advance to welcome youth and young adults of 7 to 18 years old to participate in this innovative project. Computers and technology staff will be available for youth to learn how fun and easy coding can be through games and interactive activities.

The sites hosting the “Hour of Code” are as follows:

• December 4, 2017 at Jerome Community Center from 5-6pm
• December 7, 2017 at Newhope Learning Library from 4-5pm
• December 8, 2017 at Garfield Community Center from 3-4pm
• December 9, 2017 at The Santa Ana Public Library from 11am-12pm

To RSVP to one of these events please visit the following web address: https://goo.gl/hx6RvQ Space is Limited!

The Library’s Operations Manager, Heather Folmar, remarked, “We are thankful that the American Library Association and Google have recognized the need to bring this cutting edge technology to young people in communities such as ours. So many kids in challenged communities never have the opportunity to understand and develop the skills that might produce a new generation of tech innovators. Programs such as these are essential to communities, and to society as a whole!”

The Santa Ana Public Library is proud to be able to provide young people with the resources and experiences offered through this innovative grant. If youth are to find a successful future in a dynamic, expanding, and competitive 21st labor market, we must all work together to give them the skills they will need. Libraries Ready to Code is a welcome first step in the process of doing just that. To learn more about the “Hour of Code”, and the global movement reaching tens of millions of students in more than 180 countries you can find more information at the following web address: https://hourofcode.com/us.

Santa Ana Public Library: “Santa Ana Public Library’s purpose is to respond to our community’s informational, educational, and personal interest needs using books, materials, technology, and professional expertise.”