Celebrating a Decade of Digital Discovery: A Summer of Fun, Learning, and Innovation

This summer marked a major milestone for Digital Nova Scotia as we wrapped up another season of our beloved Digital Discovery Camps, now celebrating 10 incredible years! In collaboration with The Discovery Centre, we’ve been helping young tech enthusiasts dive into the exciting world of technology through immersive, hands-on experiences. This year, we stayed true to our mission of inspiring and engaging youth across Nova Scotia, with a special focus on reaching underserved communities!

Bringing Tech to Youth Across Nova Scotia

In 2024, the Digital Discovery Camps welcomed 120 campers aged 9-12 from diverse backgrounds. Our commitment to pan-provincial outreach meant that the camps were held in six locations across the province, with five of those in rural areas where participation was free. This year’s camps took place in Halifax at the Discovery Centre, Bridgewater at the YMCA Youth Centre, in Cape Breton at Membertou School, New Glasgow at IGNITE Atlantic's Northern office, Spryfield at the Chebucto Family Centre, and Yarmouth at IGNITE's Southern office.

These rural camps played a critical role in ensuring accessibility for families and communities that might not otherwise have access to such tech-rich learning experiences.

A Collaborative Effort

None of this would have been possible without the amazing support from our sponsors and community partners. Our Epic Gigabyte Sponsor, REDspace, and Community Sponsor, CGI, were instrumental in making this year’s camps such a success. A huge shoutout also goes to the Mi'kmaw Economic Benefits Office (MEBO), which helped spread the word and connect us with schools, particularly in Membertou.

Unforgettable ExperiencesFrom coding and robotics to 2D animation and hardware breakdowns, each camp session was packed with exciting activities led by mentors from across the tech industry. New this year, we had the pleasure of working with mentors from the Construction Association of Nova Scotia, COVE, word-craft, and the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council, alongside returning mentors like Skills NS, Hutch Games, BRAEVR, and CGI. These passionate mentors guided the campers through activities like TinkerCad, paper circuits, coding with Scratch, breadboards, Makey Makey, Microbit Radio, and more!

But it wasn’t all coding and circuits! Campers also had time for self-directed learning, where they could work on their projects for the final showcase. Guest speakers, outdoor activities, and team-building exercises rounded out the experience, making it a well-balanced week of learning and fun.

Looking Ahead

As we reflect on a decade of Digital Discovery Camps, we couldn’t be prouder of the impact we’ve made across Nova Scotia. The energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity we’ve seen from the campers each summer inspire us to keep growing and expanding these camps to reach even more young minds.

We’re already looking ahead to the next 10 years of discovery, learning, and innovation. Here’s to the next generation of tech leaders—and to another amazing summer of Digital Discovery Camps!

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