Digital Moment Annual Report 2021-2022

Annual Report

A Year in Review

A Coming of Age

The year 2021-2022 was a pivotal moment for Kids Code Jeunesse. While the pandemic meant most of our programming continued to be delivered virtually, we taught coding, algorithm and data literacy, and digital skills to tens of thousands of kids and youth in classrooms and communities across Quebec, Canada, and beyond.

The birth of Digital Moment was an important evolution for the organization, allowing us to grow beyond our original mandate. We launched new programming under the banners of KCJ, Digital2030, and the Social Innovation Lab. Looking towards the future, we are reaching and teaching a wider range youth and communities, are supported by industry-leading partners, and have strengthened ties with international thought leaders including UNESCO.

As we grow, we are even better positioned to provide training, learning opportunities, and experiences that will support today’s youth as they contribute to building a better future.

Kate Arthur Founder and CEO

Digital Moment Comes to Life

It is such an honour to write this opening letter for our first annual report under the banner of Digital Moment, formerly Kids Code Jeunesse (KCJ). This is not a repackaging of who we have been, rather Digital Moment is an evolution and an expansion of our organization and our commitment to delivering digital skills to youth. Moving from KCJ to Digital Moment was designed to help address the urgent need for youth to remain agile and to be leaders of their future. Digital education means more than coding – it means providing today’s young people the spaces, skills, and tools to create a better tomorrow. Every day, Digital Moment nurtures the next generation of engaged citizens through initiatives tailored specifically to kids and youth, with a continued focus on girls and equity-seeking groups. We equip our youth with the social, economic, and environmental understanding and critical thinking skills needed to understand how to communicate and create for social good in the world today.

As we began to move beyond the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world continued to experience unprecedented disruption driven by rapid technological change. Education has not escaped these disruptive forces. While

technology was adopted quickly in classrooms in recent years, newly emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, demonstrate the need for the rapid acceleration on how and why we educate, including adaptable curricula, handson learning, and inclusion of ethics. Education is key to preparing today’s youth for the world of tomorrow, yet our education systems are poorly equipped to keep up. Digital Moment is working to ensure greater access to digital learning tools available for educators and their students so that all may have access to knowledge and the critical capacity to understand and use them –technically, ethically, and responsibly.

We are lucky to be based in a country that recognizes the importance of digital education and integrates youth into the national global AI strategy, among other initiatives. The federally funded CanCode program, launched in 2017, cemented Canada’s commitment to building a competitive digital economy meant to benefit Canadians in the short- and long-term. In that time, Digital Moment has introduced computational thinking, coding, and physical computing to more than 25,000 educators and 750,000 youth in both Official Languages from coast-to-coast-to-coast. More recently, in partnership with UNESCO, we have introduced AI, Algorithm, and Data Literacy, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, to youth in more than 142 countries. Notable successes this year included IA Maintenant, a series of events in 14 of Quebec’s 16 regions, that delivered Artificial Intelligence training to 250 educators, many in rural regions. During Computer Science Education Week, our site attracted more than

Mahalia Verna President of the Board

500,000 visitors engaging with our educational materials created as part of the international Hour of Code.

Our hope is that government, industry, and the education sector will continue to prioritize and invest in digital education. Digital Moment sits at the intersection of these sectors, supported by and collaborating with partners to support creativity and innovation in digital skills education. These collective efforts are helping to close the digital divide, bringing the power of digital to address global issues, and lifting society through a period of great uncertainty.

Thank you for trusting us, believing in us, and contributing to lifting up our communities. Now under the Digital Moment banner, our three initiatives – KCJ, Digital2030, and the Social Innovation Lab – will allow us to serve a wider range of youth and educators, adjusting our offering along with the pace of technological change. What has not changed is our steadfast commitment to delivering and designing programs that will ensure today’s youth have the digital skills and ability to think critically, socially, and equitably as they play an increasingly leading role in building the future.

Kate Arthur Founder and CEO

Mahalia Verna President of the Board

Our New Structure

PARENT COMPANY

INITIATIVES

PROJECTS

The Digital2030 Challenge (formerly #kids2030)

The Algorithm & Data Literacy Project

Digital Leaders

Schools In Classrooms

Teacher Training

Community Code Club

Community Workshops

Youth-led innovation

Tackling Global Issues

We are on a 10-year mission to change the world through the use of technology by 2030. Digital2030 invites youth around the world to participate in a variety of experiences to learn about digital skills such as coding, digital literacy, and artificial intelligence and to engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These experiences are:

Digital2030 Challenge

Algorithm & Data Literacy

Digital Leaders

Digital2030 Challenge

As part of our ten-year mission to change the course of history, we are challenging young leaders around the world to use data, code, and algorithms to engage with the SDGs

We support a collective effort to tackle global issues focusing on building a sustainable future, solving problems with technology, and joining a global community to create impact.

Built for 12-17 year olds, the Challenge promotes exploration, boosting digital skills, creation of unique artworks, and join a global movement.

Founding partner:

Digital2030 Challenge

In the first year of our ten-year Digital2030 Challenge, we set a high standard for leadership for youth engagement in Canada and beyond. Focused on Preventing Plastic Pollution, we enabled youth around the world to take action, perform hands-on research and analysis, to learn about the SDGs, and to take action!

#Kids2023 Plastic Challenge

The program achieved, and well surpassed, its objective of 5,000 visitors.

8,058 Global visitors

5,936 Canadian visitors

3,058 Quebec visitors

2,286 French website visitors

144 Canadian submissions

*between May 2021 and June 2022

Algorithm & Data Literacy

Digital Moment joined forces with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) and UNESCO to launch the Algorithm & Data Literacy Project to raise awareness and educate kids about the presence of algorithms and how they influence our digital experiences

The goal is to empower kids to exercise critical thinking in how they engage online, and to become proactive, creative users and makers rather than passive consumers.

Sponsors & Partners

Canadian Commission Commission canadienne

Digital Leaders

Digital Leaders provides young people with a platform to reflect and share ideas on the issues that matter most to them through interactive roundtables and discussions where they can explore how ethically using emerging technology can solve global problems. Its goal is to build a more inclusive world where young voices and ideas on digital impact contribute to a better future.

Background

This program builds upon a 2020 pilot, which included 8 sessions and 40 young leaders (ages 7-17) from across North America and Europe who came together to discuss sustainable living, ethical AI and redesigning school.

Décode les Données was a Quebec project that allowed us to resume working with students in person in May of 2022. After all the challenges and distancing created by the pandemic, it was so inspiring and energizing to see how curious they were about what’s happening behind the screen, and how much they want to better understand the workings of the AI algorithms and data they interact with every day.

Juliet Waters Chief Learning Officer

Inspiring Young Minds

Digital Moment’s longest standing initiative, since 2013, Kids Code Jeunesse (KCJ) has been at the leading edge of digital education for kids and youth in Canada.

Our programs teach young people from K-12 across the country to create, communicate, and code. KCJ is the engine that has driven Digital Moment’s mission as we work to mobilize one million students and engage fifty thousand educators by 2030.

KCJ projects focus on schools and communities:

Schools

In Classrooms

Teacher Training

Community Code Club

Community Workshops

Code in the Classroom

Whether virtual or in person, we continue to deliver digital skills to kids and their teachers across the country as a free service.

Code in the Classroom workshops let thousands of students get hands-on with technology, block-based coding, and computational thinking.

Our workshops engage hundreds of teachers, pre-service teachers, and their students, helping them understand the latest technologies, build confidence, and equipping them with the knowledge they need to successfully teach digital skills in their classrooms.

Sponsors & Partners

By the numbers

Teacher Participants

860

Number of Students

18,890

Number of Workshops

860

IA Maintenant

It has been a long-term goal of our Teacher Training initiatives to bring data literacy and artificial intelligence into alignment with provincial curricula, in particular Quebec’s Digital Competency Framework. We have seen growth over time, but were overwhelmed with participation and response this March, when 58 Quebec teachers joined us for our event on AI & Ethics.

Project Sponsors

Teacher’s Conference, Chicoutimi, QC, March 2022

Scratch Jr.

We are honoured to be one of the international organizations participating in the Scratch Education Collaborative: a global network of organizations supporting kids from historically marginalized backgrounds in developing their confidence with creative computing.

One of the young girls attending this session of Code Club at our branch spent the first day in tears because she didn’t understand anything about coding and felt like she couldn’t do it. Yesterday she happily and confidently coded a player versus player game with her own custom-made sprites and was arguing with the boys around the table about a better way to code their sprites. Many participants that attended my Scratch 1 sessions came back for the subsequent Scratch 2 offering. Also, participants had a very positive and collaborative attitude toward the projects!

Lauren Western Manitoba Regional Library

Teacher Training

We believe that great learning begins with great educators. We know that teachers need support to inspire the next generation with new technology.

The KCJ instructors offer free training sessions to teachers and pre-service teachers, tailored to their needs so they are equipped to discuss, teach, and present on digital literacy.

Unlike our Code in the Classroom program, participants in our Teacher Training will learn how to run their own workshops and receive tips and tricks on teaching code.

Sponsors and partners

By the numbers

TEACHERS

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

Participants Participants

Number of Workshops

Code Club

We are committed to making sure that every kid who is introduced to code has a place to continue to practice, learn, and create.

Code Clubs are a volunteer-led network of free clubs spanning every Canadian province and territory.

Starting a club is easy as we provide all the support and materials you need to get up and running. Code Clubs are many things: a safe space to learn, a place for kids to improve their skills, or an opportunity to make new friends.

I just wanted to thank you for running this Code Club through the library. My son LOVED it and learned so much from it. You’ve ignited a newfound love for coding.

Community Workshops

We are committed to meeting kids and youth where they are to create opportunities for them to learn and explore digital skills.

In collaboration with community centres, libraries, and festivals, such as Eureka, we engage with the communities that we support offering coding and digital skills workshops that can be gamified to increase engagement and interest.

One of the girls who was in the summer club was silent for the first few weeks – no sharing, no camera, no microphone. Her mom emailed to tell me she was loving it but was just shy. By the end of the sessions, she had her camera on and was answering and asking questions and sharing her screen. At the very last meeting, she and the animator were the last people on the call. I feel the whole thing was worth it if just for her.

Participant

Online community workshop, PEI

Youth-led Innovation

The Lab empowers youth from all backgrounds to develop innovative, creative solutions with technology to pressing social challenges in a welcoming, youth-led environment.

Our approach to social innovation is rooted in supporting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We promote experimentation, collaboration, acceptance of failure, designing implementable initiatives, and learning key skills focused on developing the hard, soft, and social and emotional skills needed to thrive in the workforce of the future.

9,745

Treasurer’s Report

The mandate of the Audit & Risk Management Committee is to oversee the following:

DM’s financial statements and related information.

Assessment of key accounting policies and practices and estimates.

DM’s compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Assessment and reporting of the effectiveness of internal controls.

The external auditors and audit process.

Assessment and reporting on enterprise risks and related mitigation plans.

I am happy to report that Digital Moment (formerly Kids Code Jeunesse) received an unqualified audit report of their financial statements for the year ended May 31st, 2022.

DM’s unrestricted net assets as of May 31st, 2022 were $4,244,979 which included a deficiency of revenues over expenses of $50,818. This represented a net decrease in the excess of revenues over expenses over the prior year of $2,701,678 due mainly to the timing of the receipt of Grants from governments coupled with a decrease in Government subsidies received during the year for wages and rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Revenue year over year decreased 34% or $1,547,890. The decrease was due mainly to the completion of CanCode 2.0 and the delay in the kick off of CanCode 3.0 to the latter part of the year offset in part by a 68% increase or $515,754 from corporate donations.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a continued focus on managing controllable expenses while delivering services online. Overall expenditures were $3,102,293 an increase of 59% or $1,153,788 from the prior year. After taking into consideration the Government subsidies received for wages, and rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of $1,043,905 in 2022 ($2,425,829 in 2021), expenses decreased $228,136 due mainly to reductions in subcontractors, rent and professional fees.

Digital Moment has a healthy balance sheet and its cash position remained very strong at $4,166,398, an increase of $1,496,403 or 56%.

Digital Moment, through its strong stewardship, mindful spending and focus on new programs and revenue streams is in a solid financial position to attain its mission.

Maura O’Shea Treasurer, Board of Directors

Financial Highlights

We would like to thank our incredible volunteers, partners, sponsors, and donors for their continued support over the past year. We are happy to report we brought in $3.1M in revenues during a period of continued economic difficulty from the pandemic recovery. We continued to focus our efforts on investing in our current programming but also invested in bringing new complimentary programming to our youth so that we could continue to evolve and innovate in meeting their needs. This was a year focused on building the expansion of our brand while maintaining sustainability. We were able to draw down on necessary reserves built during the pandemic and look forward to continuing to invest in our communities over the next year.

For a complete picture, please see our audited financial statements here.

Revenues Expenditures

DIGITAL MOMENT STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

YEAR ENDED MAY 31, 2022

EXCESS (DEFICIENCY) OF REVENUES OVER EXPENSES

DIGITAL MOMENT BALANCE SHEET AS AT MAY 31, 2022

Sponsors and Partners

In addition to our partnerships with schools, communities, and volunteers, Digital Moment is supported by a network of future-focused partners and sponsors, including international leaders in education and technology sectors and trailblazing innovators. We thank them for sharing our vision.

Government Partners

Partners and Sponsors

International Partners

Acknowledgments

In addition to its network of engaged students, teachers, and parents, Digital Moment benefits from the dedication of a large group of Board members, advisors, donors, volunteers, and a committed team of professionals.

We thank you all for your support and for sharing in our vision.

Board of Directors

Mahalia Verna, President

Elaine Lam

François-Bernard Poulin

Jean-François Picard

Maura O’Shea, Treasurer

Noah Redler