Fire Tech Camp are launching a special type of holiday camp at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) this week with the goal of empowering and inspiring children and teenagers with digital technology. The rapidly-expanding tech sector is leading the UK economy and tech-friendly Manchester is home to much of this new business and talent. Fire Tech Camp is on a mission to make sure young people are ready to take on this digital revolution and make it their own. Courses in coding, video game design and physical computing will offer students invaluable skills and positive experiences that could ignite a lifelong passion for tech. After five days of intense activity, under the guidance of experienced educators and enthusiastic university students, campers will have their own original projects to show off and the know-how to take their learning further.
Courses are designed to encourage creativity and give a solid grounding in fundamental concepts of computer science, enabling students to understand and take control of the technology we all encounter every day. Take Arduino for example, something many people won't have heard of, but an accessible and fun way to get to grips with programming and physical computing. Using a microcontroller (the “Arduino”) in tandem with a basic programming language and an array of sensors, lights and buttons, it is possible to create and adapt physical objects that interact with the world around them. In this video, some of Fire Tech's previous campers show you what can be done with an Arduino, some empty coffee cartons and a bit of tinkering!
VIDEO: Campers using their Arduinos to make “Coffeebots”
Jill Hodges launched Fire Tech Camp in London a year and a half ago after becoming frustrated by the lack of extra-curricular opportunities in computer science for her own children. Since then, her mission has been supported by literally hundreds of students and their parents. Some of these students have been supported by a scholarship programme, which has recently been boosted by a generous £10,000 donation from investment firm Winton Capital. The scholarships fund students with an enthusiasm for technology, enabling them to attend camps and workshops.
www.firetechcamp.com/
This week's launch in Manchester marks the culmination of a busy summer season with more camps and campuses than ever before. If you're quick, there is still time to get involved with the second week of camps starting Monday 25th August! To celebrate the launch, Fire Tech Camp are offering a £75 discount, meaning each camp is £325. They run Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm (with additional 9am-5pm childcare available). Camps include Video Game Design (ages 9-12), Coding in Java (ages 12+), Teen Coding with Python (ages 14+) and Physical Computing with Arduino (ages 14+). Courses can be booked online at www.firetechcamp.com and keep an eye out for new camps and workshops coming to Manchester soon!
