Our Mission
Deadly Coders is an indigenous-owned coding initiative, established by Junior Engineers in 2021. Our mission is to bring STEM education to every primary and secondary Indigenous child in the next 10 years.
Junior Engineers had been delivering STEM workshops to primary and secondary school students and saw the under-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their coding workshops first-hand.
To combat this, working closely with Indigenous advisors and mentors, Junior Engineers initiated a pilot program. They used their knowledge and experience gained over 10 years of working with children to make tailored STEM programs fun, hands-on and engaging for Indigenous students.
The pilot program delivered learning programs to more than 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youngsters over ten hands-on and fun coding and robotics workshops. It is just the beginning.
Deadly coders subtitle
Our mission is to ensure the right message reaches the right person in your community in the simplest way possible. By streamlining administrative tasks, we empower you to focus on what you do best – running your institution.
Innovation is at our core. Deadlycoders was the first communications app developed specifically to solve communications challenges for schools, and this experience and history has given us the knowledge to drive innovative solutions and expand our business to support the broader education and community sector.
An Indigenous-owned initiative
In 2023, Junior Engineers handed Deadly Coders to community to ensure programs continue to deliver in core areas of need. In June 2023, the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) recognised Deadly Coders as an Indigenous-owned initiative, and the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) recognised Deadly Coders as a not-for-profit entity. Deadly Coders is also registered as a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
As an indigenous-owned initiative, we provide access to fully funded, accessible and existing coding and STEM Education programs. We focus on establishing networks, connecting participants to community figures and role models in the industry. In doing this, we demonstrate directly to Indigenous youth that they can confidently pursue STEM fields in their future.
Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
Our Board
Established in 2023, Deadly Coders is based on Turrbal and Yuggera Country in Meanjin (Brisbane) at the EdTech Group’s headquarters in Red Hill. We are an indigenous-owned, not-for-profit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation, governed by a voluntary Board of leading STEM educators, engineers, and Indigenous engagement professionals.
Our Board Members
Grant is a descendant of the Gumbaynggirr and Biripi people from Northern New South Wales. With over 16 years’ experience as a structural engineer, Grant is the director of the Jabin Group, an Indigenous owned engineering consultancy.
He is also the Chairman of the Indigenous Engineers Group and hopes to provide opportunities to current and future Indigenous engineers through the group. Grant has experience across a wide range of projects and disciplines within the engineering field including Facades, SD, Design Management, Procurement and Fabrication.
Karina has strong ancestral ties to Northern NSW having come from a big Aboriginal and South Sea Island family. She is currently a journalist for the ABC, Chair of Blak Dance, and board member of the Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service.
In addition to her media and Indigenous advocacy background, she was the former Chair of the Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community Health Service. Ms Hogan was also on the board of Sisters Inside, an enterprise focused on improving outcomes for women and children within the criminal justice system.
Chenoa is a proud Waka Waka and Kalkadoon woman, heritage from her mother’s side, and has lived most of her life on Quandamooka land at Moreton Bay.
A specialist teacher, Chenoa began her career working in high schools specialising in HPE and Maths. Chenoa found herself drawn to engaging students who were struggling in a mainstream classroom, and with differentiated learning needs.
As a former elite Netballer, Chenoa moved into a Diversity and Inclusion role at Queensland Netball, before moving back into education as a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist. Chenoa spent many years during university volunteering teaching in the Northern Territory, Vanuatu, the Maldives and the Philippines. She also interned at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence’s Digital Excellence Team.
Eva Hopewell is a Bundjalung woman with roots in Northern NSW. She is currently a Technology Finance Analyst at the Westpac Group. She has lived experience being the only Aboriginal person or woman in technology classrooms, which is a key driver for her strong passion in engaging and inspiring Indigenous youth in STEM.
In addition to her studies at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) where she completed a Bachelor of Information Technology, Eva is currently undertaking a Research Honours Project at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), investigating cultural safety in technology education.
Andrew is a qualified teacher with nearly 15 years’ experience working in the education and CSR space. Andrew has held many positions across large public and private businesses in industries including motoring, banking, publishing and now is Director of Partnerships for The EdTech Group.
Andrew has been mentored by several people from Indigenous communities and has developed a passion for closing the gap using his skills in education and CSR. Andrew has experience in mentoring Indigenous Youth and is currently focused on reducing disparity when it comes to STEM-related study and careers, having played a pivotal role in the development and early success of the Deadly Coders program.
Adam is the Managing Director and CEO of the EdTech Group, a national education and training organisation specialising in digital technologies education. Together, the EdTech Group’s industry-leading brands, Junior Engineers, Audiri, and Cyber Pathways, deliver world-class digital technologies education, school communications software and cyber security education to support educational institutions, corporate organisations, parents and students.
Prior to joining the EdTech Group, Adam was the CEO of The Australian Institute of Personal Trainers, Australia’s leading Registered Training Organisation (RTO) specialising in the delivery of health and wellness, nutrition, and fitness qualifications across a network of 110 campuses nationwide.
Adam’s background is in corporate finance, having worked for a Sydney-based corporate advisory house, specialising in medium and smaller corporates, divisions of major corporations, private families and high net worth individuals. Adam worked across a number of national and international transactions including mergers and acquisitions, strategic advice, IPO’s, capital raisings, valuations, underwritings, financial structuring, corporate restructures, governance and risk management.
