The Hour of Code campaign kicked off Monday, using world-renowned sports figures to get youngsters to become enthusiastic about computer programming.
The Hour of Code campaign, which consists of participating in a one-hour introductory course aimed at learning computer coding, helped spur Computer Science Education Week, which runs through Sunday, according to Tech Republic.
Code.org, a nonprofit organization attempting to spread the accessibility of learning computer science, began its third annual Hour of Code week supported by athletes like tennis star Serena Williams and international soccer stars Neymar da Silva Santos Jr., Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo Vieira with a video presentation, Tech Crunch reported.
Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, current star Draymond Green, from the Golden State Warriors, and WNBA standout Sue Bird also lent their support, noted Tech Crunch.
"These athletes are role models for students globally and will help reinforce the diversity results of Code.org's work," Code.org founder Hadi Partovi told Tech Crunch.
Code.org said on its website that its annual Hour of Code campaign reached about 10 percent of students around the world and helps provide curriculum to school-aged children in the largest school districts in the United States.
"Learning computer science is just as foundational as learning biology or chemistry," Partovi said, according to Tech Republic. "These days, learning what an algorithm is and how data is encrypted on the internet is just as important as learning how photosynthesis works."
The campaign counts Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and more than 400 other tech and education organizations as its supporters, stated Tech Republic. Partovi said, though, that the key to the Hour of Code's growth will be changing the perception that coding and computer science is only for brainiacs.
"The ultimate success of the Hour of Code is in changing the stereotype of who can learn computer science, and getting schools to make computer science part of the formal curriculum," Partovi told Tech Republic.
Code.org stated that 300 million students have participated in the one hour of code classes in the past, writing total of 20 billion lines of code so far, Tech Crunch noted.