Cracking the code: Ribbon cutting held for Code Ninjas

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Code Ninjas is ready to leap into action.

The new business, which exposes kids to coding through creative activities like video games, held a ribbon cutting Friday at its location at 1982 Eastwood Rd.

“You don’t have to have any experience whatsoever in building games or stems to participate at Code Ninja,” said owner Zoe Mathews. “We play a lot of games here. It’s very interactive. There’s a lot of work with collaboration and communication, as well as learning to code. And we are here to teach, so please come and try it.”

The center features desktop computers, projectors, new software programs, and many other tools to help those involved learn this new skill.

The program is open to kids ages 5 to 14 and has many different courses.

“We are in the 21st century,” Mathews said. “We are a technological society, And it’s only increasing the amount of opportunities that these kids are being able to help to do what they want to do in the future. Whatever industry that is, they are going to need critical thinking and problem-solving but they are going to need these digital skills as well.”

On Saturday, Sept. 17, staff members will be on hand at Code Ninjas to answer questions and provide masked tours of the facility from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There also will be free game building sessions for kids from 2-4 p.m.

“Wilmington continues to grow,” said Megan Mullins, vice president of marketing and communications for the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. “We have companies that are hiring. We have jobs that are opening in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare and some more of these tech companies that are coming to Wilmington. So we are continuing to grow a diverse economy.

“You don’t just have restaurant and hotels. We are not just a sleepy beach town anymore we are going up and we’re growing fast and we are excited about that.”

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