A series of virtual summer camps to help children learn computer coding, game development and programming skills has been launched by Glasgow-based British Youth International College (BYITC). Two of the classes are FREE of charge to attend.

Children aged 8 to 14 can sign up to the camps, which are hosted online, so are accessible to young people in any location.

The 2023 BYITC Summer Coding Camp takes place on 26th July focusing on games development.

The second Coding Camp takes place on 31 July, 1st and 2nd of August and will focus on Python – a popular programming language that can be used for a wide variety of applications, including building websites and creating software.

In addition to this, there are two FREE classes which are available on Thursday, 27 July, a coding masterclass, and Thursday, 3 August, a fun competition made up of quizzes and games. The winners of which will win a smart watch.

BYITC founder Dr Rashmi Mantri said, “The school holidays are the perfect time to combine fun with fascination – and our Summer Coding Camps will have plenty of both!

“The idea is to introduce young people to the world of coding and games development, while also powering their imaginations with a combination of hands-on activities, interactive workshops and project-based learning.”

Young people taking part in the BYITC Summer Coding Camps will use apps that introduce kids to coding – such as Scratch and Thunkable – and game creation platforms such as Roblox. Python programming topics will also be incorporated.

“We’ve carefully crafted the camp curriculum to provide a holistic learning experience that encompasses coding concepts, game design principles and the practical application of programming skills,” Dr Mantri said.

Each day of the Summer Coding Camps will run from 11am to 1pm and then 2pm to 4pm.

Dr Mantri, who has a PhD in Computer Science, founded BYITC in 2015 to teach maths using a counting tool that has been used for millennia – the abacus. BYITC has since expanded into online courses in English, programming and cyber security and runs 10 franchises globally – including Dubai and Sri Lanka.

Supermaths is BYITC’s most popular teaching programme and offers a mix of weekly teacher-led abacus maths classes and online tutorials.

Thought to have been first used by the Babylonians, an ancient Middle Eastern civilisation, as early as 2,400 BC, the abacus is known to be highly effective at training the brain to make mathematical calculations involving huge numbers.

For more information on the 2023 BYITC Summer Coding Camps visit: https://www.byitc.org/glasgow-summer-games-dev-boot-camp-classes/