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<head>
<title>Let's spark children's interest in coding</title>
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<body class="toplevel">
<h1 class="p-name">Let's spark children's interest in coding</h1>
<p>The FSFE has created the illustrated book "Ada &amp; Zangemann - A Tale of
Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream" as an Open Education Resource
under a Creative Commons License, the same one that Wikipedia has. The story
is about the inventor Zangemann and the girl Ada, a curious tinkerer. Ada
begins to experiment with hardware and software, and in the process realises
how crucial technology is for her and others. It is a fascinating story for
children from 6 years, motivating them, especially girls, to tinker with
hardware and software and encouraging them to shape their own technology.</p>
<div class="grid-50-50">
<div class="box">
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/ec/09/aa1f3c2df1b0814babffb7e7274b.jpg" alt="A teacher standing in a classroom holding the book, with all the pupils holding the book in front of their heads."/>
<figcaption>
Ada and Zangemann reading in a French school
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="box">
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/2a/17/04697eb71d5c44bd473e0cea7773.png" alt="A girl reading a book labeled as remix version"/>
<figcaption>
Mila reading a remix version of Ada &amp; Zangemann © CC-BY 4.0 Romain Debailleul
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
<h2>Readings, discussions, workshops: Inspire children around the world</h2>
<p>Our volunteers, staff, and the author of the book have done many readings
in different languages throughout the world, spreading Ada's story to over
1700 children. Many of them, especially girls, have told us that the story
encourages them to start inventing and programming.</p>
<div class="grid-50-50">
<div class="box">
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/e6/cc/64eae3bd6d5ce239b1c5fff5f9e1.jpg" alt="two people with a book"/>
<figcaption>
Event with reading of the book in Ukrainian
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="box">
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/cb/05/399d19f13425f28039489cec0d86.jpg" alt="a large group of young people sitting in a cinema hall and waiting"/>
<figcaption>
Author reading of Ada and Zangemann to over 150 3rd graders from Offenburg schools<br/> © CC-BY-SA Stadt Offenburg / herrfichtner
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
<p>For the events we have collaborated with schools, libraries, municipalities,
organisations that introduce children into programming, and organisation
working with refugee children.</p>
<h2>Make the story accessible for all</h2>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/31/74/a1e67188a6fadbb74ce67033d5c2.jpg" alt="The printed versions of the book in German, English, French, Ukrainian, Italian, and Arabic."/>
<figcaption>
Printed copies of the book in German, English, French, Ukrainian, Italian, and Arabic.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We would like to make the materials accessible for everyone. Thanks to
donations, the FSFE was able to release Arabic and Ukrainian translations of
the book. A French translation and publication was coordinated by the French
Ministry of National Education, and a car company commissioned a Spanish
translation. Volunteers translated the book into Valencian, Danish, Hindi,
Italian, and are working on other languages.</p>
<p>We are also working with organisations and publishers on accessible eBook
versions for people who read differently due to conditions such as blindness
or low vision.</p>
<h2>Reach more children with a movie</h2>
<p>To reach more children, we want to create an animated "Ada &amp; Zangemann"
movie. The 30-minute film will be produced by an experienced 2D animation
studio, and we will also release it as an Open Educational Resource. Anyone
will be able to download and share the movie, embed it on websites, use it in
schools, display it at events, and integrate it with other educational
material, making a difference to the quality of IT education that is so vital
for young people in our digital society.</p>
<p>Thanks to our supporters we were able to raise more than €40,000 which
enables us to produce the movie by end 2024 in over four languages. We will
publish them starting in quarter 3 2024. For 2025 we aim to get €80,000 in
donations for organising readings, preparing materials, distributing books to
libraries, and creating additional translations of the book and video.</p>
<div class="color-box background fullwidth" data-color="dark-green">
<p>
<fsfe-cd-donate-link class="btn btn-lg btn-primary">
Become an FSFE supporter!
</fsfe-cd-donate-link>
</p>
</div>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/64/9c/48a9e93e878e31f93c7978443b05.jpg" alt="Large group of pupils and two people reading to them showing illustrations with a large projector"/>
<figcaption>
A readings at an event in Italy<br/> © CC-BY-SA NOI Techpark
</figcaption>
</figure>
<blockquote>
<p>"A brilliantly illustrated journey of discovery and resilience that will
inspire any young mind to embrace their curiosity and create with technology" -
<em>Zach Latta, Founder of Hack Club</em></p>
<p>"Encouraging creative, out-of-the-box engineering thinking, problem-solving,
and perseverance, as well as endless tinkering..." - <em>A.R. Miller, Purdue
Reviewer</em></p>
<p>"A wonderfully entertaining read with an empowering message for younger
generations, one which will shape our world and the way we live in it." -
<em>Kaye Fogarty, The English International College, Marbella</em></p>
<p>"I like how [the book] makes a positive statement that girls can code and
use computers." - <em>Child Reviewer, <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/INSPIRE/EngineeringGiftGuide/2023/ada-zangemann-a-tale-of-software-skateboards-and-raspberry-ice-cream">Purdue</a></em></p>
<p>"After my son was read the book last night, he told me the whole story this
morning... He wants to make something out of old pallets after school today.
And then he wants to learn programming." - <em>Ingo Wichmann, CEO Linuxhotel
GmbH</em></p>
<p>"This book is exactly what I want to pass on to my children!" -
<em>Canelle A., 18-year-old student translator in a Parisian high
school</em></p>
<p>
<em><a href="/activities/ada-zangemann/book-reviews.html">Read all the reviews we have received.</a></em>
</p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/71/f9/4bccaae53c097b642978f9b96ac8.jpg" alt="Girl sitting at a workbench tinkering with technology, other child brings a fan"/>
</figure>
<p class="license">
Illustration from the book by Sandra Brandstätter <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC-BY-SA 4.0</a>
</p>
<div class="color-box background fullwidth" data-color="dark-green">
<p>
<fsfe-cd-donate-link class="btn btn-lg btn-primary">
Become an FSFE supporter!
</fsfe-cd-donate-link>
</p>
</div>
<h2>Youth Hacking 4 Freedom: the FSFE's coding competition for teenagers</h2>
<figure>
<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/0b5182d1811b20495b4b2820d55b24da.jpg" alt="Three teenagers standing in a hackerspace"/>
</figure>
<p class="license">
Graphic by <a href="https://mullana.de/">Lisa Schmidt</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC-BY-SA 4.0</a>
</p>
<p>For teenagers who are already experienced in programming, the FSFE is organising the European wide <a href="/activities/yh4f/">"Youth hacking for freedom" coding competition</a>.</p>
</body>
<followup>donate</followup>
<image url="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/88/0e/538ea879b557fc6b32b07e243a8a.jpg" alt="A teacher standing in a classroom holding the book, with all the pupils holding the book in front of their heads."/>
<translator/>
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