Capital Digital is a project that both trains young migrants (15-20 years old) from the outskirts of Brussels in the basics of coding, and both gives them pedagogical abilities to transfer this knowledge to migrant children. Capital Digital teaches to migrant and asylum seekers aged 15-20 technical and pedagogical abilities in order for them to teach in turn coding in a didactic and playful way to migrant children aged 9-12 who live in the poorest areas of Brussels
The project has the aim to reach two age groups: on the one end it trains young migrants (aged 15-20) in the basics of programming, on the other hand it also gives them pedagogical abilities necessary to transfer this knowledge to children.
The aim is in the short period to improve IT skills of young people and to teach them the basics of coding. In the long period, the project aims at making disadvantaged youth groups aware of the possibilities to obtain a job in the IT and technological sector - where they are at the moment underrepresented.
The project also encourages kids to appreciate and improve their IT capacities, that are becoming more and more important in our competitive society. Moreover Capital Digital helps children to change from consumers to creative producers: it is amusing to play, but it is also more interesting to create one’s own game.
The project is concentrated in three disadvantaged areas of the Brussels region: Anderlecht, Molenbeek e Schaarbee. The target are young and disadvantaged children, primarily with a migration background.
Capital Digital is part publicly funded, part privately. At the moment they are exploring different ways of securing funding and expanding the project.
“So far we have reached about a hundred young people and children, encouraging them to engage in IT in a creative and funny way”, the website reads. “Research has shown that building their science capital will have a positive effect on young people’s- not just in terms of encouraging more young people to continue into science, technology engineering and maths, but, more importantly, building science capital is a tool for social justice, to help improve people’s lives and life chances.
At the same time, we show the potential and enthusiasm of young people who recently became particularly stigmatised because of their neighbourhoods they live in or their ethnic background. We believe the boost Capital Digital gives to their self-esteem is very valuable. The counter narrative against prejudices media is equally important”.
