ABOUT THE PROJECT

Launch July 2024
Target Group Young people aged 6–25, with a focus on girls and women in STEM/digital fields
EU Funding €6 million — Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL-2023-SKILLS-04-BOOSTINGDIGIT)
Consortium 41 partners + 4 associated partners from 20+ European countries
Mission Inspire and empower 25 million Europeans with coding and digital skills
Website www.codeweek.eu

What is Code4Europe?

Code4Europe is an EU-funded project launched in July 2024 to expand and strengthen digital education across Europe. Backed by €6 million through the Digital Europe Programme under the DIGITAL-2023-SKILLS-04-BOOSTINGDIGIT action, the project builds on more than a decade of EU Code Week — one of Europe’s most successful grassroots movements for digital literacy — and takes it to a new level.

The project’s central mission is to inspire and empower the next generation of digitally-savvy Europeans, ensuring that programming, coding and computational thinking skills are accessible to all — regardless of background, gender or geography. Code4Europe specifically aims to increase the number of young people aged 6 to 25, particularly girls and women, who pursue careers in digital fields including coding and the wider area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

By driving meaningful change in digital education across Europe, Code4Europe supports a more inclusive digital transition, addresses skills shortages in the tech sector, and strengthens the EU’s long-term digital competitiveness. It equips young Europeans with essential digital skills, supports educators and volunteers in expanding their activities, and fosters collaboration and innovation across the continent.

Led by JA Europe and coordinated across a consortium of 41 partners and 4 associated partners spanning more than 20 countries, Code4Europe is more than a campaign. It is a shared mission to reimagine, revamp and relaunch EU Code Week as a year-round force for real, lasting change in digital education throughout Europe.

 

About EU Code Week

EU Code Week is an international grassroots movement celebrating creativity, problem-solving and collaboration through programming and technology activities. Supported by the European Commission, it encourages participation from everyone — especially schools and young learners — and works to demystify coding and motivate people of all ages and abilities to engage with digital skills.

Since its inception in 2013, EU Code Week has grown into one of Europe’s most recognised digital education initiatives, inspiring millions of activities in schools, libraries, community centres and homes across the continent and beyond. Code4Europe gives this movement a renewed mandate: to drive real change, reach more young people and build a more digitally confident Europe.

Explore coding activities and join the movement at codeweek.eu/events

 

EPA’s Role in Code4Europe

The European Parents’ Association (EPA) is a proud consortium partner in Code4Europe, contributing its unique position as the only EU-level organisation representing parents in education policy. Founded in 1985, EPA brings together 50+ member organisations from across Europe and reaches more than 150 million parents through its network.

Within Code4Europe, EPA plays a critical role in connecting the project’s digital education goals directly with families — the most immediate environment in which children learn, grow and develop their relationship with technology. Our involvement focuses on:

  • Engaging parents and families as active participants in the digital skills ecosystem, not just passive observers
  • Advocating for parental involvement in children’s digital learning journeys and supporting parents in their role as primary educators
  • Bridging the generational digital divide by helping parents understand, support and participate in coding and computational thinking activities at home
  • Amplifying Code4Europe activities and EU Code Week events through EPA’s European network of parent organisations, reaching families in all EU member states
  • Supporting educators and volunteers by connecting them with parent communities, helping expand their activities and deepen their impact
  • Contributing a family and community perspective to the project’s strategy for increasing the number of young people — particularly girls and women — choosing digital and STEM careers
  • Promoting inclusive participation and ensuring digital skills opportunities are accessible regardless of background, geography or socioeconomic status

 

Our contribution at a glance

Family engagement & community outreach — mobilising EPA’s network of 150+ million parents across Europe to participate in and promote Code4Europe activities.

Policy advocacy — giving the parental voice a seat at the table in digital education policy, reinforcing the project’s inclusive and systemic ambitions.

Inclusive participation — championing the involvement of underrepresented groups, particularly girls and young women aged 6–25, in digital and STEM pathways.

Dissemination — spreading project news, activities and outcomes through EPA channels, member organisations and European education networks.

 

Parents are a decisive factor in young people’s educational choices and career paths. When parents understand and value digital skills, children are significantly more likely to explore technology with confidence. EPA’s participation in Code4Europe ensures that this crucial dimension — the home environment and parental support — is embedded in the project’s approach from the outset.

 

A Europe-Wide Consortium

Code4Europe brings together an exceptionally broad and diverse consortium of educational institutions, digital organisations, national hubs, industry partners and civil society representatives from more than 20 countries. Together, they are building a richer, more accessible and more impactful EU Code Week — one that reaches young people wherever they are.

Consortium partners include JA Europe (coordinating partner), Schuman Associates, ALL DIGITAL, INDIRE, CityLab, CoderDojo, Accenture, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, Matrix Internet, National College of Ireland, LIKTA, European Alliance to Save Energy, ECWT, Fondazione Links, and many more — each contributing their expertise to a shared mission.

EPA is listed as a full consortium partner alongside organisations from Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Italy, Poland, Malta, Germany, Ireland, France, Belgium, Cyprus, Romania and beyond — a true expression of pan-European cooperation in the service of digital education.

 

Why Digital Skills Matter for Families

Europe faces a significant and growing digital skills gap. Demand for digitally literate workers is rising rapidly across every sector, yet too many young people — particularly girls and those from disadvantaged backgrounds — are not developing the confidence, competencies or awareness of opportunities needed to enter the digital workforce.

Code4Europe addresses this challenge at its source: by reaching children and young people early, making digital learning engaging and accessible, and building a support ecosystem that includes not just schools and educators but also families and communities. EPA’s advocacy and outreach work within this project reflects our conviction that parents, informed and engaged, are among the most powerful forces for educational change.

When a child brings home enthusiasm for coding from a Code Week activity, a parent who understands why it matters — and how to encourage it — can make all the difference. That is the change EPA is here to help create.

 

Get Involved

EU Code Week takes place each year in October, but Code4Europe activities run year-round. Whether you are a parent, educator, community organiser or young person, there are many ways to participate:

  • Discover coding activities near you or online at codeweek.eu/events
  • Organise a coding activity in your school, home or community and register it on the EU Code Week platform
  • Follow EU Code Week on social media and share activities with your network
  • If you are a parent organisation or national member of EPA, reach out to explore how we can work together to promote Code4Europe in your country

 

Find out more and join the movement: www.codeweek.eu