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Take this course and learn to speak Python

If you've ever wanted to learn to write in a language a computer can understand, but have struggled taking that first step, a full-day workshop in late September may be just the push you need to get started.
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After a successful event in May, Renée Higgins and Samantha Onuska will team up again Sept. 26 to teach beginners the basics of computer programming through Ladies Learning Code. File photo.
If you've ever wanted to learn to write in a language a computer can understand, but have struggled taking that first step, a full-day workshop in late September may be just the push you need to get started.

To celebrate National Learn To Code Day, on Sept. 26, the organization Ladies Learning Code will host workshops across Canada – including one in Sudbury – to teach participants the basics of programming through Python, a popular high-level programming language.

Despite the organization's name, the Sept. 26 workshop is open to men and women.

“Gender is not an issue,” said Samantha Onuska, the event's organizer. “We're just trying to promote coding.”

Onuska started the Sudbury chapter of Ladies Learning Code, and its sister organization Girls Learning Code, while working on her masters of education at Nipissing University, where she wrote her thesis on digital literacy.

Onuska said it has become increasingly important for people to understand how technology works.

In May, she teamed up with Renée Higgins, a web developer for the City of Greater Sudbury, to teach girls HTML and CSS (cascading style sheets), the programming languages used to design websites.

The event was a great success, with around 25 young participants and 12 mentors to help them throughout the workshop.

“It was probably the most rewarding volunteer experience of my life,” Higgins said. “We had websites built on everything from cats to bacon.”

Higgins will also lead the National Learn to Code Day workshop.

She said Ladies Learning Code chose Python because it's a beginner friendly programming language that is closer to English syntax than some other high-level languages.

“I'm really looking forward to teaching people using this course content because it's so good,” she said. “People are often intimidated, but this workshop is not overly complicated and is really well presented.”

The workshop is aimed at people with little or no programming experience, and will give them a good grasp of programming fundamentals that apply to all languages.

By the end of the workshop participants will have created their own full-scale computer program with Python.

The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tom Davies Square.

Thanks to a national partnership with Facebook, the workshop is free, but Ladies Learning to Code encourage donations to help support future endeavors.

Would-be participants are asked to register online here, or to contact Onuska at [email protected].

She said they are also looking for more mentors with Python experience to help participants throughout the day.

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Jonathan Migneault

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