5 of the hottest STEM camps for young people in Ireland this summer

Summer programmes designed for young people are an ideal way to upskill and advance a STEM-based education.

It is not only nice to have a break from school during the summer months, it is an absolute necessity. We all need to recharge the batteries now and then. But three months is a long time and you may be looking to fill some of that time with an activity that is both fun and educational. 

STEM and STEAM programmes for young people are a perfect way to break up the summer months. Designed to incorporate traditional and emerging skills, STEM summer camps enable kids to connect with others, build foundational knowledge and work on the elements of STEM that could form the basis for a future career. 

So, what is currently available to Ireland’s young people?

Eco-Unesco

For Dublin-based children aged between 10 and 12 years old, Eco-Unesco is running the Eco-Explorers Summer Camp Dublin, from 20 August until 24 August, 10am to 3pm. Students can learn about nature, ecology and biodiversity, via outdoor adventures, interactive games and hands-on activities.  

For teenagers aged 13 to 16, there is the Green Teen Summer Camp, which is available in Cork and Dublin in late July and early August – make sure to check out what dates are available in your city. Through day trips, guided tours, interactive workshops and games, young people will explore local biodiversity and learn about sustainability.

All programmes are €195 per week and more dates may be added depending on demand. 

Trinity Walton Club

Dublin’s Trinity Walton Club, which is based out of the Trinity College campus, has multiple camps open to curious young minds looking to get more involved with STEM subjects this summer, ahead of the return to school.

Starting on 20 July and ending 24 July, and running from 10am to 2pm, the Assemble course, which is a €305 five-day camp, shows students how coding, sensors and data can be used to design the cities of the future.

There is also the Ignite STEM Entrepreneurship camp, running from 27 July to 31 July, 10am to 3pm, for €365 for the five days. Running in partnership with Portal, Trinity’s ideas workspace, this programme teaches students to work in teams, extend their existing innovative ideas, brainstorm new ideas, move their innovation through business development plans and explore what it might take to bring their ideas forward to the market.

Running in the same time period as Ignite, at €305 for five days, secondary-aged students can avail of the Connect Camp, designed to give them an idea of how to code across real-world applications. It is purposefully broad, giving students a chance to try things out and see what they enjoy. 

Students will build simple games and interactive programs, create simulations to model real-world systems, explore how code can be used to analyse and visualise data, control devices like Arduino using code, and get a glimpse into how software and apps are developed. It is described as a good fit for students new to coding and curious about its potential.  

Designer Minds

Running throughout July and August, Designer Minds has camps all over Ireland that are designed to teach children aged six to 12 the fundamentals of STEAM via interactive activities, hands-on projects and teamwork. Intended for children from first class all the way through to sixth, it is a five-day, 20-hour programme costing €180 and the time varies depending on which programme you select. There are also discounts available for siblings and early-bird registrants. Make sure to check out the website to see which dates are available in your area.

WhizzKids

Facilitated by a number of universities across Ireland, WhizzKids camps are running until August, and offer national and secondary school-aged kids the opportunity to engage with digital skills via courses in coding, animation, video game development, web design, 3D design and other disciplines. The classes, which are broken up by age, are suited to children of all abilities. The programme has multiple start dates and participating regions include Limerick, Cork, Athlone, Tipperary, Galway and Dublin, among others.  

Connemara Maths Academy

There is arguably no more beautiful setting for a week-long summer camp than Connemara. At the Connemara Maths Academy, students aged seven to 17 can take part in STEAM workshops and a range of fun outdoor activities and sports, with the prices ranging from the low hundreds to more than €800 (with a code), depending on whether you are a boarder and on the length of the programme.

The STEAM portion of the programme includes activities such as: AI model building; robotics; coding; music tech; stop-motion animation; science experiments; entrepreneurship; art; 3D scanning; 3D modelling; 3D printing; website design; movie making; rockets, solar, wind and hydro projects; and engineering, among others.

There is a strict no-phones policy also, which allows participants to truly engage with nature in one of Ireland’s most breathtaking spots. If you are interested, consider booking soon – the last available week is from Sunday 19 July to Saturday 25 July. 

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