Parker Fleck has always liked puzzles, so programming and coding has always suited him.
So when the future grade 7 student heard about the Sagehill Community Futures Tech Camp that peaked his interest since they were going to be learning about game design.
Instructors Nick Ferguson and Amanda Braun were very excited to share their love of programming with Fleck and nine other kids, age 12-16, from all over the Sagehill region, including Bruno, Wakaw, Wadena, Middle Lake, Marysburg, and Humboldt.
“Obviously we both love programming, we’re in it for a reason, and getting to share that with kids is super cool and a great experience,” says Braun.
Their main goal was they wanted the kids to have fun and learn problem solving skills, says Braun.
“Generally, kids like video games so you’re starting from a place where they’re interested.”
The game itself was an Asteroids clone that taught kids the basic skills of working on a game design.
Braun says that they brought basic images and graphics that the kids could use but she says they taught and encouraged them to make their games their own.
”That’s one we pushed from the beginning. We have preset assets...what the character skins look like for the kids, but we tell them, don’t feel like you have to use any of that. If you want to go online and create your own.”
As a programmer who happens to be a woman, Braun was also excited to see two girls in the class as well. In her line of work, most of the IT positions and camp instructors that she sees are males so to promote programming as an option for young girls is important, she says.
“We need more woman in IT and in development and in coding. We have the skill sets to do it. We have the interest. It’s just not the norm.”
The more woman you have in IT the more woman you will attract, says Braun.
The girls who were in the camp were just as interested and into it as the boys and that should be the only determining factor on whether girls or boys should be exploring the programming field, says Braun.
Jenny Glessman with Sagehill Community Future says this response was very positive with Glessman sending out invites through the schools and Facebook, she says. Glessman says it only took two weeks before the camp was full and they started putting kids on waiting lists.
Much of the response was due to Horizon School Division’s response as well, says Glessman, as they also contributed to making sure the word got out.
With so many kids not knowing what they want to do in the future, exposure is such an important discovery tool.
Glessman says coding does seem like the way of the future, so exposing the kids to this opportunity can really help them decide if it is something that interests them.
“We’re hoping that maybe some of them down the road, it might become a job for them.”
Watching the kids light up as they played their own games was great to see, says Glessman.
“It’s been a great three days. The smiles on their faces told the story, it was really great.”
Training Consultant Fred Novecosky with the Carlton Trail College says it was a great fit to contribute their computer lab to the program because it is a great opportunity for the students.
The unique summer experience is giving the kids a taste of what could result in a career in coding in the future, he says.
Now that Fleck has had his first taste of designing his own game, he can see himself either working for Pokemon or starting his own tech company. Either way, this may mean some computer science classes at the University of Saskatchewan is in his future, he says.
With the donated facility provided by the College and a group of enthusiastic kids, Glessman says they hope to bring it back after finding some funding.
