The Warehouse, the Wilmington youth center developed by teens for teens in 2018 as part of REACH Riverside, is launching a virtual camp in partnership with Futures First Gaming with a mission to help the city’s underrepresented kids become part of a future workforce centered on technology, entrepreneurship and esports.
The program, called Futures First Camp, will include 40 hours of coding and game design instruction led by Coderrific Academy, 20 hours of entrepreneurship training with a focus on esports, and 40 hours of gameplay and skill development. At the end of the camp, students will hold their own online esports event, engaging with another cohort of coders and gamers led by Code Differently.
“Contrary to some more pessimistic views of gaming, we believe that game theory can produce epic wins for our teens,” said The Warehouse Executive Director Logan Herring in a statement. “These wins are established by creating a sense of urgent optimism, building trust and cooperation, promoting blissful productivity by happily working hard, and attaching themselves to an awe-inspiring mission. These attributes can be applied seamlessly to any and all entrepreneurial or employment opportunities.”
Each camper will have a customized experience based on their career interests. When they come out, they should have a solid foundation in coding and gaming design theory, which can help in their pursuits in careers in STEM, esports, entrepreneurship and other professions.
Thanks to a donation from Discover Bank, The Warehouse participants will attend the camp at no cost.
“The Futures First Gaming Camp is an amazing program. We are in a unique position with the help of the Teen Warehouse and Discover, to bring this camp to kids in our underserved community,” said Malcolm Coley, cofounder of Futures First Gaming. “I personally feel very strongly about this camp, because we are in a space to bring awareness and opportunity to Black kids that haven’t been exposed to technology on this level. Access and exposure are vital to the progression of one’s future and our camp does exactly that. It gives kids opportunities in STEM and entrepreneurship that they haven’t seen before.”
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