Coding By The Digital Campfire

At Envato, we’re excited about the future of the local tech sector and incredibly passionate about the next generation of developers who will help shape it. 

So it is probably no surprise that we leaped at the chance to host our own Code Camp during the most recent July school holidays! 

Established in 2013, the school holiday program gives kids the opportunity to design, problem-solve, and code their own apps and games in just three days.  More than 80,000 participants have taken part in the camps since their inception. 

“We were motivated to support Code Camp because it looked like such a fun and educational initiative for our kids, equipping children with the foundation skills to succeed in an increasingly digital future,” said Office Manager Claire March. 

“We will definitely look to host future Code Camps here at HQ as the last one was such a success. “

Chief Experience Officer Justin French said that while his daughter wasn’t sure what to expect, she was a very happy ‘camper’ by the end of the first day. “We’ve tried to get her engaged with code a few times, but it hasn’t really stuck. This time, she was filled with excitement and enthusiasm by the end of day one, so I think they’ve designed the course in a way that helps them feel like they’re making progress quickly with visual editing tools, then tackle some bigger challenges towards the end with custom code.” 

“Over dinner at the end of day two she was telling me all about variables, collisions, if/else statements, boss levels and fixing bugs!”

Office Coordinator Ruth Crespo arranged to have her nephew attend and agreed that the course design was well received by the participating children.  “He learnt how to create a six-stage game and give instructions like applying gravity to the game so the characters aren’t floating, assign music, design his character, add obstacles and create a point system.”

“The shiny gold medal he got to take home and will be taking back to school to show all his friends was a definite highlight of the week…and he tells me now when he grows up he wants to work at Envato!”

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