120 young coders to hone their skills at Clon ‘camp’

More than 120 young coders are expected to attend Ireland’s first ever CoderDojo Camp, to be held in West Cork next month.

Aimed at children and teenagers from seven to 17 from all over Ireland and beyond, the weekend camp, which is now open for registration, will be held in Clonakilty.

Organisers have appealed to local businesses to support the event by donating items for the camp goodie bags or offer discounts to attendees.

“Following the success of CoderDojo, which has been running globally since May 2011, and in particular the success of CoderDojo Clonakilty and other dojos in West Cork, we felt that now would be a great time to plan and host CoderDojo’s first ever “Camp,” said Margaret Deegan, one of the organisers, adding that CoderDojo Clonakilty runs every Friday night from 6.30-8.30pm at the town’s Quality Hotel.

The camp would provide a golden opportunity for younger coders who want to expand their skills, she said

“We’re bringing mentors from all over the country and exposing the kids to new and more varied techniques and giving them the chance to work with dojos from around the country.

“There will be a great amount of skills-sharing and ideas-sharing and it will open up a lot more opportunities for kids, who will get to see how other dojos work.”

The free event will help enthusiastic young coders develop skills that aren’t currently available in their own Dojos, she said, adding that the weekend would feature sessions on Scratch, Web Development, App Development, Arduinos, MineCraft Modding and more.

“There will be an Expo event on the Sunday morning also where the kids can showcase their project to invited guests, parents, press, sponsors and others.

The weekend event, to which young coders and their families are invited, will take place at the Quality Hotel on Nov 16 and 17.

“As always with CoderDojo there will be no charge for any child attending CampCoderDojo as all mentors and volunteers will give their time completely free of charge.”

* See http://exa.mn/11l

To register visit http://exa.mn/11k

For further details email [e-mail] or [e-mail].