Junicoders – Empowering Communities through Digital Literacy and AI Awareness

Challenge: Porto: How to enhance digital literacy?

Target Group: Individuals with no digital literacy; Social Housing Residents; children and youth

The Junicoders pilot tackled digital literacy for children aged 8 to 12 in vulnerable contexts in Porto. Through biweekly workshops using custom electronics kits, block-based coding, and robotics, students explored STEM in a hands-on way aligned with classroom topics. Teachers received tailored training, and co-creation sessions ensured curricular integration. Co-creation activities with Domus Social e Porto Digital involved approximately 60 individuals, of whom 45 were students. All content has been digitised and made available as open educational resources. The pilot resulted in increased digital confidence, creativity, and engagement. Students built simple projects like solar-powered fans or coded animations explaining science concepts. Teacher feedback directly influenced the final kit designs and content. The next phase includes introducing basic AI literacy, helping children understand intelligent systems playfully. The solution is ready for replication and will be further developed and expanded.