i-DAT is hosting a Young Rewired State workshop for young people, YRS alumni, Rewired State mentors and other volunteers 6th to the 10th August. The young peoples challenge is to build digital products: mobile and web, using at least one piece of open data. The participants will work with us for the week and then head up to Birmingham for the “Festival of Code 2012 where 500 kids sign up for coding and camping at YOUNG REWIRED STATES’s “Digital Olympics”.
i-DAT in Plymouth will play host to a number of talented youngsters in the South West.
Young Rewired State (YRS) announces today that its unique kids national coding event will take place this year from 6th – 12th August 2012. Now in its fourth year, YRS is attracting more children than ever with the aim of a record 500 participants registered to attend at 50 regional centres.
Explaining the aims of Young Rewired State, Founder, Emma Mulqueeny said; “Our primary focus is to find, foster and challenge the young children and teenagers who are driven to teach themselves how to code. We offer them the support that is missing from schools and colleges by providing mentors, broadening their horizons and introducing them to a network of like-minded peers.”
“The Festival of Code week is especially important as it allows the kids to realise that, as a geek, they are not alone and that coding is an important, promising and often lucrative career”.
Over the course of the week 50 organisations, large and small, around the country will act as host centres to local young people, YRS alumni, Rewired State mentors and other volunteers. From Monday to the Friday the centres will welcome kids from their region and challenge them to build digital products: mobile and web, using at least one piece of open government data. In Plymouth, the YRS center will be hosted by i-DAT.org, Plymouth University.
At the end of the week everyone piles on coaches, trains and cars to a central venue (top secret until nearer the event) where they will have a night of camping and coding, pizza and camaraderie. On the Saturday afternoon they will show what they have made to an audience of their peers, press, government and industry. Prizes are awarded and lives are changed.
All children can enter for free as long as they are aged 18 or under and have a rudimentary understanding of programming_ — although YRS will send out free resources in advance of the week for those who are unsure of their skills. YRS would particularly welcome more girl-coders. Sign up at http://www.youngrewiredstate.org.
Feedback from YRS 2011:
“He was buzzing yesterday! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so happy and fired up! I think he may have found ‘his people’. I can’t quite express to you just how brilliant it is to see him like this… he said you’re all just really cool and I think for the first time he felt pretty cool himself! I could barely drag him off the laptop last night to get him to eat!” — A parent
“Thank you very much for organising the event — I had an amazing time and was really grateful for the opportunities I had. I have already signed up to be a mentor next year since I really want to be a part of YRS as it is something I really believe it.” — an 18 year old YRS member
“Can’t tell you how much it would have helped me as an awkward teenager to find other kids who didn’t think being a geek was odd.” — A mentor
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