Teencamp event devoted to internet

TEENAGE CAMPS used to have the whiff of the outdoors about them which usually involved camping, fishing, boating and other pursuits which necessitated the expending of surplus energy.

Saturday’s Teencamp in Temple Bar was literally and figuratively an underground affair, taking place as it did in the basement of Filmbase in Curved Street.

Thirty teenagers from around Ireland took part in a day which was devoted to issues surrounding the internet from storytelling to blogging and how to date online.

The event was organised by two bloggers Alan Costello and Enda Crowley, who are also friends. At the Irish Web Award, they spoke of how there was no event which allowed teenagers discuss technology-related issues with each other. Saturday’s teencamp was modelled on the highly successful BarCamp format that originated in California four years ago and has spread around the world.

“We said there was a need for an event for young people like us. We’re always complaining that there’s nothing to do for teens anywhere. It is always kind of a case of hanging out in somebody’s house so we decided to start this event and be the mavericks of our generation. We’re kind of saying that we’ll do something for all of us,”Alan (17) said.

The emphasis throughout the event was networking whether for friendship or for future business prospects.

Though ostensibly about the internet, there was a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship. The organisers managed to tap two internet-based companies Mulley Communications and Spunout.ie for sponsorship of the whole event.

David Doran (19), a first year student of management science and internet studies at Trinity College Dublin, gave a talk on internet entrepreneurship. Something of a boy wonder, he set up his own website daviddoran.com when he was just 12 and has been involved professionally in web design for nearly five years.

He urged the teenagers attending to “learn and question, think smart, reach out and think big”.

Among those taking part in yesterday’s event was Tommy Collison (14) whose award-winning blog trusttommy.com gets around 250 hits a day.