On Saturday, World Earth Day, the Discovery Centre played host to both the Bendigo Regional Food Alliance’s Edible Oasis project and Coder Dojo, a programming club for children and teenagers.

The Edible Oasis project is teaching residents how to grow their own food in a water-wise manner, with wicking beds being established at certain locations in the city to grow vegetables for the use of community members.

Chairwoman Jennifer Alden said for her, the initiative was most important because of its potential impacts on health.

Dr Alden said people – particularly children – were more likely to eat food if they had grown it, and healthy food was especially important given Bendigo’s population had poor indicators of health, including obesity.

During yesterday’s workshop, two beds were set up outside the Discovery Centre and once grown, their produce will be free for the community’s use.

At the popular Coder Dojo event inside the centre, young people learnt more about technology and programming through challenges ranging from dissembling a laptop and playing with interactive robots to coding an app.

Coder Dojo is a global programming movement with clubs across the world.

Discovery Centre general manager Jonathan Ridnell said he believed Bendigo’s was the first club of its sort in regional Victoria.

“What’s really lovely is the engagement; the kids are buzzing,” Mr Ridnell said.

The initiative received some financial support from the Goldfields Local Learning and Employment Network.

Chairman Arvid Yaganegi said the organisation invested in the program because it felt it was starting something that in the future would become ubiquitous.