Submitted by the Economic Development Council.

The Economic Development Council invites youth ages 9-13 to participate in a seven-week online after-school course: Youth Arduino Coding, to be held twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, from 4-4:45 p.m., from Feb. 25 through April 10. The course will be led by Liam Griskey-Watson, an EDC tech trainer with a degree in computer science.

This introductory course teaches the basics of circuits, robotics and programming with a simple Arduino kit used by professionals for prototyping. Students will work with hardware and software to build their technical skills. No prior knowledge of Arduino or coding is necessary. Participants will need basic computer skills and access to the internet and a laptop or desktop computer less than five years old, and they will have one to two hours of projects per week which they may complete during online meetings or on their own schedule.

The EDC tech trainer will review essential topics and answer questions during two live Zoom sessions per week. Participants will receive online materials, Arduino kits and instructions the week before the first online session. The EDC will provide the Arduino kits and all instructional materials. Students will keep their Arduino kits after completing the course.

The course fee is $50 and advance payment is required. Please visit https://sanjuansedc.org/tech to reserve your space. For questions, please call 360-378-2906 or email lara@sanjuansedc.org.

The EDC thanks San Juan County, the Orcas Island Community Foundation, Lopez Island School District, the Town of Friday Harbor, the Port of Lopez, the Port of Friday Harbor and the Washington State Department of Commerce for their support of this program and other EDC initiatives.