As we approach ‘Take Your Child to Work Day,’ here in the U.S., my recent experience proved that LinkedIn’s Bring your Parents to Work Day could be a more fitting event.
Back in February, my older daughter came to New York with me for a long weekend. The cornerstone reason was to participate in a Thomson Reuters sponsored event with CoderDojo NYC. CoderDojo is a global movement of free, volunteer-led, community based programming clubs for young people. A ‘Dojo’ teaches young people to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games and explore technology in an informal and creative environment. In addition to learning to code, attendees meet with mentors and are exposed to the possibilities of technology.
Volunteers from CoderDojo and Thomson Reuters mentor children in coding. (Photo courtesy of Thomson... [+]
For this specific event, volunteers from both the CoderDojo and Thomson Reuters mentored the children, ages 7-17, for three hours. In my role as Senior Vice President for Innovation, I often read and speak about how rapidly technology is evolving and the need for our children to gain the training and experience required to be successful in this new world. Not without irony, this experience blew me away in how quickly these 60 children selected a coding technology, sat down at (in some cases) borrowed laptops, and in a short window of time created websites, games and graphics.
Our children, the innovators of tomorrow, will have access to technology, information and products that we can merely dream of. These young minds will envelope, explore, master and re-create all that is before them. Staying on top of the latest trends, working on development and thinking innovatively is crucial for any company – and society - that wants to get ahead and stay relevant for the future.
Application
Our best and brightest minds of tomorrow want to work for organizations that let them reach their potential: both, the potential to enable human to human capabilities, as well as human to/from machine dynamics. And they want to do it in new ways. Experimentation, harnessed and guided, is key for moving forward. Failing fast is no longer a code word for disappointment; failing fast is a critical part of growth and moving ahead quickly and in the right direction.
Aside from building a culture that supports and invigorates innovation, it is paramount to create the right pathways and support systems to allow for an ecosystem to thrive among corporations, start-ups and scholars. It is my belief and passion that the more ways we expand outside of our traditional avenues, the better world we will create.
Relevance
During the Dojo event, I watched children who had never coded before, build their own apps and express excitement and delight in what they accomplished. In 3 hours, my daughter created a graphic that danced to various rhythms and tunes, sharing it proudly with her peers and event mentors. I sat flabbergasted seeing firsthand just how fast this pace of change is happening, and how fundamentally teaching and training our children to succeed in the world is, and how it must be of utmost importance to all of us.
I hope that today when girls and boys spend the day at work with their parents, they are inspired by the experience – and in turn, their parents also reignite their own curiosity for what is possible and how to participate in these exciting times.
