How soon can I start running my Dojo?

Once you have all the basics covered, such as the venue, insurance, some equipment, and of course some keen Mentors and Ninjas, we appreciate that you will be eager to get your Dojo up and running as soon as possible. However, before you can run your first Dojo session, there is a number of things you will need to do first:

• Register an account on our community platform Zen, and fill out our Start a Dojo application.
• Have your Dojo application verified by a member of the CoderDojo Foundation team. It is very important to have your Dojo verified, as otherwise you will not be recognised as an official Dojo or receive the benefits of being part of the CoderDojo community. To ensure a speedy verification process, please see these tips on the Dojo verification process. A team member from the Foundation will be in touch with you as soon as they have verified your Dojo.
• Decide what topics you’re going to cover at your Dojo, and choose the learning approach you wish to take in your Dojo. For example, you may have a table of Ninjas working on beginners’ exercises, and another table working on more advanced material, or you may choose to work on a group project or have the Ninjas work in pairs. CoderDojo doesn’t have a set curriculum, and you don’t need to create any lesson plans, or projects, unless you want to, of course. All our learning resources and materials are available for free on the Resources page of our website.

Once you have all the above covered, you are good to go! Remember that you can always get in touch with the Foundation if you have questions — just send us an email to info@coderdojo.org