While attendees at PyCon have traditionally been adults, Python's use had long spread to more than adults in the workforce. Colleges have been teaching Python for years, high school students have been using Python for projects, and programming books for kids have become quite popular.

In 2012 we cut the student rate in half, bringing the ticket cost down to $100 for a three-day conference. We figured this would reach out to those college students, particularly local ones, and it worked. However, we still had another group to reach: the kids.

In 2013 we introduced a tutorial session for kids 12 and over called, "The Young Coder: Let's Learn Python," taught by Barbara Shaurette and Katie Cunningham. It was an absolute hit. Barbara and Katie loved it. The kids (and parents!) loved it. The sponsors loved it. It was so well received that the material has now been taught at other conferences, including PyOhio last summer, and this weekend at PyTennessee.

**If you have a child 12 or over who wants to learn Python, sign them up today, for free!

Yep, that's right. For $0 USD ($0 CAN), your child spends a day being introduced to Python in a fun environment using the Raspberry Pi, and gets to take home their own copies of "Python For Kids" and "Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners" books.

The tutorial on Saturday will be taught in English by Barbara and Katie, and the tutorial on Sunday will be taught in French by Davin Baragiotta and David Cormier, so be sure to sign up for the session that makes sense for you.

Interested in helping?

This tutorial series has been so successful in part thanks to the volunteers assistants who give the kids close attention and help them through the tutorial. For PyCon 2014, we're looking for 10 English speaking assistants for Saturday, and 10 French speaking assistants for Sunday. If you're interested in lending your time, please sign up for an assistant spot on Eventbrite! Not only do the teachers need your help, the kids do as well.