Last week, 60 young and talented teens from Brussels graduated from the 15th edition of the Boeing-ThinkYoung Coding School. By introducing kids to the art of coding through an innovative approach to a non-formal educational setting, the program aims to spark their interest in pursuing a STEM education and career.

“I’m proud of our Coding School initiative and its focus on inspiring more girls to pursue STEM education.  We hope to inspire all students to follow their dreams of imagining, inventing and innovating a better, brighter tomorrow. At Boeing, we are focused on promoting inclusion and diversity across the aerospace industry and beyond,” said Kim Stollar, Managing Director, EU & NATO Government Affairs at Boeing.

Hosted at the Boeing Brussels offices for the 7th year in a row, this year’s program inspired two classes of 30 teenagers to develop their passions for drones and sustainability by teaching them practical front- and back-end development skills. With the help of ‘Ambassadors’ – Coding School graduates from previous years – the class of 2022 learned to build and change websites and create interactive experiences, including pixel art, games and automation using the Python programming language.

The students also had the opportunity to meet thought leaders from the European Parliament, European Commission, the U.S. Mission to the European Union, Eurocontrol and Boeing. The motivating speakers shared the importance of incubating talent through initiatives like the Coding School to encourage and empower the next generation of creators and thinkers.

About the Coding Summer School

Since 2008, the Boeing-ThinkYoung Coding Summer School has been giving students the opportunity to envision a future education and career path in STEM to help solve some of aerospace’s and humanity’s greatest challenges.

“We are excited to be bringing our program back to Brussels. Young people see digital technologies as a fundamental part of their daily lives, that is why we are committed to equipping them with the ICT skills needed to participate in and lead the digital transformation. We thank Boeing for their valuable support in empowering the next generations with the skills required by the future labor market” says Marilena Toumazou, Director of the ThinkYoung Coding School.

The educational program is also part of a joint Boeing-ThinkYoung effort to overcome the gender gap in the STEM and ICT fields by bringing more girls into the Code classroom every year.

“The more I reach the end of my high school path, the more I spot the importance of STEM opportunities offered by universities all around Europe, especially for girls, whose contribution to science is no more disputed,” shared Margherita Finucci, a 2018 Coding School alumnus and Ambassador between 2019 and 2021.

Learn more and apply to the next edition at https://www.codingsummerschool.com

Investing in the future

The Coding Summer School is one of many Boeing community engagement initiatives across the world. Since 2018, Boeing has invested more than €5.9 million for pan-European STEM projects.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. The company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers.