SASKIA LEGGETT
Scratch Foundation
Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) is a programming language and online community developed at the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Scratch enables young people from around the world to create and share stories, animations and games by snapping together blocks of code.
As the Scratch Outreach Manager during my time with the Scratch Foundation, I directed Scratch Day and the Scratch Conference, and oversaw global outreach efforts.
Scratch Day
Each May, the Scratch Team invites their community to participate in Scratch Day, a joyful, global network of events that celebrates Scratch — and the young people who code and create with it. During Scratch Day, kids and adults gather in homes, schools, libraries, museums, and community centers around the world to share projects and learn from one another in a festive spirit.
I also led outreach for Global Scratch Day. During my tenure at the Foundation, I helped grow global participation in Scratch Day from 500 to over 1,500 yearly registered events.
Scratch Conference
Scratch@MIT is a playful gathering of educators, researchers, developers, and other members of the Scratch community, hosted every other year at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2016, I planned, organized, and ran the conference for 500 participants from over 25 countries.
Over the three days, attendees participated in a variety of sessions, including hands-on workshops for exploring Scratch activities, spirited discussions with Scratch educators from around the globe, and interactive demonstrations of new ways to connect Scratch to the physical world. The conference theme “Many Paths, Many Styles” was present in all aspects of the event, from colorful conference garb to keynote conversations about equity and intersectionality in creative computing.
Scratch Day and the Scratch Conference are proof of the power of events. There’s a spark created when people meet in person to connect over mutual interests, share projects that they’re proud of, and learn new skills together. Whether they are creating their first coding project, experimenting with new materials, or collaborating with new friends, they are supported, encouraged, and celebrated.
Photo credits:
Kelly Lorenz Imagery // Oliva Glennon // John Werner