A dedicated volunteer group of makers, tinkerers and inventors have teamed up to host monthly events where people of all ages can come and learn about coding and electronics.
The Northern Ireland Raspberry Jam is a volunteer group of makers, tinkerers and inventors who, in collaboration with the School of Maths and Physics at Queen's University and a number of other organisations, run regular and free Raspberry Jams - coding/tinkering events using the Raspberry Pi computer.
Their aim is to offer a programme of free, regular and family friendly events, providing attendees with the opportunity to get hands on with coding and electronics, in a fun and practical setting.
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These events, known as "Raspberry Jams", are organised and led by a group of passionate volunteers from across Northern Ireland, who come together to pull off the largest regular coding programme for people of all ages.
At each "Jam", there's a series of different workshops on topics ranging from 3D printing to cracking ciphers, aimed at getting young people excited about computer science and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Sam Stuart, one of the leaders and event organisers of the NI Raspberry Jam workshops, told Belfast Live: "Our original aim was to be another resource that people could use for extracurricular activity.
"I grew up in Portstewart and started attending the 'Jams' in Belfast so now I'm one of those running these free monthly events that involve tinkering, coding, electronics and generally just having a stack of fun making stuff!
"It's basically tinkering and hacking workshops that spark creativity and curiosity in the STEM area and the purpose is to hopefully allow those attending to have enough tools, creativity and logic from that to build their own projects."
He added: "We pride ourselves on being really diverse and offering children a chance to do coding when they might not have the chance normally.
"Our sessions are typically held on the second or third Saturday of every month and anyone aged between 6 - 106 is welcome to come along and partake in our workshops but the primary target audience for us is young people.
"All equipment is provided and we have activities for complete beginners right up to seasoned Pi experts.
"Whether you want to try out computer programming for the first time, hack some electronics or just generally have some fun inventing, we have something for everyone!"
The next event takes place on Saturday, November from 1-5pm at QUB and tickets are available here. For more information visit http://niraspberryjam.com/.
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