PCI Tech Camp, 4-9 August, 13-16 years old, £99

We interrupt this programme for a quick ad break.

So here’s the pitch.

If you look through lists of Christian summer camps, you’d swear that everyone is athletic and adventurous, wanting to burn off steam in the great outdoors and rough it sleeping under canvass. And for some, that is their picture of heaven.

And for others - including me as a teenager (and still as a thirty-something) - it’s a vision of the other place! No books. No technology. No proper bed.

So three summer’s ago, a few of us got together and proposed that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland should run a Technology Camp alongside its range of other youth camps. You’ll note that our original intention to call it Geek Camp was toned down, though the blurb did end with the line ...

After all, everyone should know that God Employs Electronic Know-how!

Held up in the Derryvolgie Halls of Residence in Belfast, everyone gets their own room with a proper bed and decent food! It’s wall to wall technology, looking across the range of internet, gaming, sound, video, filming voxpops and editing them, a bit of web design, blogging, podcasting … you name it, we’ll try it. Might even try some simple animation this year. Think of it as BarCamp for teens!

We also visit places, going behind the scenes where you’ll not often get the chance to see. On previous camps, we’ve been around BBC NI and UTV, around the back of the projector (and theatre) at the Queens Film Theatre, as well as the Sonic labs at QUB.

We’ve had very positive feedback from the campers who’ve attended during the first two years. A place to hang out with others who share your interests, have a lot of fun and learn new skills which you can use yourself or in your church or youth group. Lives, attitudes and confidence changed. New skills that are useful. New friendships that are real - though will still survive the virtual world. And time to think about God’s plans for each of us and how we can make best use of our talents and interests.

So if you’re aged 13–16 years old (or know someone - male or female - who is) and free between Monday 4 and Saturday 9 August, why not join us for a week of fun. A bargain at £99.

Normal service now resumes ...