Annual Review 2019 CONTENTS
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2 Annual Review 2019 CONTENTS Mission 4 Introduction 6 Programmes 12 Computers 34 Partnerships 43 Governance 44 Financial information 46 Annual Review 2019 3 MISSION ur mission is to put the power n We enable any school to offer through providing low-cost, challenging, but it should of computing and digital students the opportunity to high-performance single-board also be fun. Our approach is Omaking into the hands of study computing and computer computers and free software. deliberately playful, but we take people all over the world. We do science through providing our mission and learning goals this so that more people are able the best possible curriculum, We believe that the best way to very seriously. We think that to harness the power of computing resources, and training learn computing is through making the opportunity to develop the and digital technologies for work, to for teachers. something that you care about and skills and confidence to make solve problems that matter to them, sharing it with others. Learning things with computers should and to express themselves creatively. n We work to deepen our computing can sometimes be be accessible to all. understanding of how young people learn about computing Our strategy: and digital making, and to use n We engage millions of young that knowledge to increase people in learning computing the impact of our own work and digital making skills and to advance the field of through a thriving network computing education. of clubs and events, and through partnerships with n We make computing and youth organisations. digital making accessible to all Putting the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world 4 Annual Review 2019 Annual Review 2019 5 INTRODUCTION FROM FOUNDATION CHAIR DAVID CLEEVELY elcome to the 2019 Annual courses to develop their own skills Review for the Raspberry and confidence. WPi Foundation. It has been Perhaps our most significant another year of major progress for achievement this year has been the Foundation and our mission to the establishment of the National help more young people learn about Centre of Computing Education. computing, computer science, and Working with our partners, and digital making. supported by the UK Department Code Club and CoderDojo for Education, we are delivering continue to grow their reach a comprehensive programme and impact, supported by an of teacher training and support incredible community of volunteers for computing in every school in diversity and to being led by to imagine back then that, at this and educators, with hundreds England. This is one of the most research and evidence. point in our work to provide cost- of thousands of young people ambitious attempts to level up It was also another great year effective access to general-purpose attending free coding clubs every computing education anywhere in for our commercial subsidiary, programmable computers, we week in every corner of the globe. the world, and hopefully a model Raspberry Pi (Trading), which offer industrial, educational, and Through partnerships with that will soon be replicated in launched the latest iteration of business users a no-compromises the European Space Agency, other countries. its flagship product, Raspberry PC experience at our signature $35 the Scout Association, and the We also launched the world’s Pi 4, in June, alongside a range of price point. Eben and the team National Citizen Service, tens of largest-scale trials to test strategies supporting kits and accessories. have once again demonstrated thousands more young people have to improve gender balance in At the start of December, total engineering expertise that been introduced to the exciting computing, working with hundreds lifetime shipments of Raspberry delivers world-leading, cutting- possibilities of creating with of schools to rigorously evaluate Pi computers had passed the edge technology. digital technologies. Millions of innovative approaches to address 30 million-unit mark, a figure The work of the Raspberry people have used our free online the women in technology gap. This beyond our wildest dreams when Pi Foundation and our group resources, and tens of thousands of reflects both our commitment to I first became Chair. Equally, it companies is supported by an educators have used our free online tackling the challenges of gender would have seemed far-fetched exceptional team of Trustees, 6 Annual Review 2019 Another year of major progress for our mission to help young people learn about computing Members, and independent his contribution and delighted that Directors. This year we welcomed he continues to support our mission two new Trustees to the Board of the as Founding Member. Foundation: Kim Shillinglaw and I also want to pay a special tribute Richard Clegg. We also welcomed to the generous donors and sponsors Martin Hellawell as the independent that provide the resources that Chair of Raspberry Pi Trading enable us to do such amazing work. Limited, and Niamh Bushnell We are looking forward to working as a Director of the CoderDojo with old and new friends over the Foundation. All four are already coming years. making significant contributions. None of our achievements would Pete Lomas stepped down from be possible without the support from the Board of the Foundation in the community of makers, educators, October 2019. During his time on young people, volunteers, parents, our Board, he played a pivotal role businesses, and policymakers we in both the development of the work with. Thank you all for the Raspberry Pi computer and in the support you have given us over the growth of our charitable activities. past year, and that you continue to I am extremely grateful to Pete for give as we move into 2020. Annual Review 2019 7 + and 3A+ in 2019 8 Annual Review 2019 and 3A+ in 2019 Annual Review 2019 9 STORIES FROM YOUNG PEOPLE Freddie, Wales Freddie received one of the first might be letting people that she Raspberry Pi computers as a prize didn’t know into the house, so he in a poster competition. That led set up his Raspberry Pi computer to him joining the Code Club in his with a camera and sensors and school, which was run by James, trained a facial recognition program a computer science lecturer from to detect whether callers are known. a local university. Freddie started If they are, it lets them in and sends making games, animations, a text message to Freddie’s mum. and websites, but soon, started He has since added environmental to explore how he could use sensors so that his family knows Aoibheann, Ireland technology to solve problems. He whether his great-aunt’s house is was concerned that his great-aunt comfortably warm for her. Aoibheann’s journey with digital Henry’, a pair of interactive dolls making started when she was eight designed to support children who are and she decided that she wanted to nervous about visiting the hospital. build a website as part of a farm safety The dolls include electronic circuits project at school. Her mum, Iseult, that are connected to a computer. who was also one of Aoibheann’s When you touch different parts of teachers, got herself onto one of the the doll, the program that Aoibheann Raspberry Pi Foundation’s teacher wrote displays information about training programmes and started a medical procedures, such as blood CoderDojo for children in her local tests. In order to create the project, area. Aoibheann has gone on to build Aoibheann learned a lot more than increasingly sophisticated projects programming, developing skills using a wide range of technologies. including user research, prototyping, One example is ‘Hospital Holly and and problem-solving. 10 Annual Review 2019 Adarsh, USA Adarsh got involved with digital making when he started attending a local makerspace with his big brother. He lives in an area that is affected by severe drought, and he noticed that people were running sprinklers despite water shortages, and even when it was raining. Using a Raspberry Pi, some low-cost moisture sensors, and weather data from an online service, Adarsh built an automated sprinkler system that waters his mum’s garden when the right conditions are met. He extended his project by connecting the system with the local authorities’ Laura, Romania website so that it detects when water is being rationed and doesn’t turn Laura first got involved in She created a prototype for a on the sprinklers, to save water and computing when her Maths teacher mind-controlled wheelchair avoid fines. To help his community, set up a computing club. She then using a Raspberry Pi computer the system also shares automated Supporting people started attending a local CoderDojo, and a wireless EEG headset. She messages telling his neighbours and communities where she developed an interest in then formed a team with friends when it is a good time to water their robotics. In just a few years, Laura in her CoderDojo, and together, gardens. His project helps not only with technology has gone from building websites they designed and built an his family, but the entire community to using advanced technologies autonomous robot that finds and to save water and avoid fines, whilst to help people and address social sorts rubbish for recycling, using looking after their gardens. problems that she cares about. machine learning. Annual Review 2019 11 PROGRAMMES 12 Annual Review 2019 Annual Review 2019 13 CODE CLUB Code Club is a global network of free coding clubs for 9- to 13-year-olds run by volunteers and educators oung people come to Code Activities Clubs to learn how to create We provide free training and guidance their own ideas, and build projects Y things with technology.