The Caribbean Science Foundation is excited to inform you that it will launch the pilot of its Computer Coding Camps in Barbados, with the first meeting of the Camp scheduled for Saturday January 6, 2018.  The sponsors of the Camp are Scotiabank, and the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS.

Total enrollment in the 2018 pilot camps will be limited to about 25 participants. The targeted group includes students between 13 and 17 years of age, at-risk youth up to 25 years of age, disabled individuals, and a small complement of secondary school science and mathematics teachers who would like to gain some training in computer programming to take back to their classrooms. The goal for the targeted group also includes equal participation by men and women.

Level I will be offered to two cohorts of Barbados youth: Level IA (entry-level) for high-school students in the 13 to 17 age range, and Level 1B (also entry Level) for at-risk Barbados youth in 18 to 25-year range, and some secondary school teachers. Levels IA and IB camps will meet on the same day but at different times. The Level IA and IB camps will focus on html and mobile Apps. For both camps, the first half of the syllabus will develop basic coding skills. In the second half, the campers will form teams, and the teams will focus on the development of simple Websites and mobile Apps that would address specific problems of interest to them. The camps will meet every Saturday beginning January 6, 2018, and will conclude on March 31, 2018 with a public showcase. Campers are expected to bring their own computers to the camp as the CSF is unable to provide computers.

In the fall of 2018 or early 2019, a Level II camp will be added for intermediate and advanced programmers. The primary coding language for the Level II Camp will be Python, although other modern languages may be adopted as necessary for problem solving and specific applications. Level II will focus on the applications of coding to problem solving in a variety of areas including science, engineering, social science, art, and industries such as tourism and financial services. Examples of Level II projects could include video games, programming Raspberry Pis and micro-controllers for the control of machines (robots, drones, appliances, and the Internet of Things) as well as the processing of big data using machine learning algorithms, and other applications that may be of interest to the teams. Python has been chosen because of: (1) its versatility, (2) its widespread adoption today as the entry-level language of choice in the world’s leading science and engineering universities, and (3) to assist the Region in moving away from Pascal at the CSEC examination level.  The plan is to scale up these camps and offer them in other Caribbean countries beginning in 2019.

The CSF is currently seeking applications from potential coaches for the Phase I camp.  Application forms (for students and coaches)  can be downloaded from the CSF Computer Coding Camp Webpage.