HomeNewsFirst edition of inspire-u high school student summer camp is launched

First edition of inspire-u high school student summer camp is launched

The first ever international summer camp for high school students (years 4-6 of pre-university secondary school education) is being held from 12 to 17 August 2018 at the University of Twente, under the title ‘InspireU’. The name is taken from CuriousU, the international summer school that is held in the same week but that is directed towards Bachelor’s and Master’s students.

Pieter Boerman, the initiator and director of UT’s Pre-University programme, explains: “This is the first time that we’re holding a summer camp for high school students that offers a combination of courses and a festival. The students can choose from a challenging programme which includes four educational tracks, lectures by inspiring speakers, and special lunchtime activities. And there’s entertainment, too: disco swimming, a science game show with live experiments, tours around the university’s innovative labs, a beach volleyball and BBQ afternoon, and an urban game in the city of Enschede. Participants stay in tents on the festival site, and of course we’ll be keeping a very good eye on them.”


Joey Pals, the project leader, adds: “Registrations are pouring in; we’re almost half full already. Students have applied from China, Romania, the United States, Greece, Malta, the UK, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands. They can choose from four tracks: ‘Beat of the Body’ (health), ‘Biggest Nano Challenges’ (nanotechnology), ‘Build your Business’ (entrepreneurship) and – the most popular track of all so far – ‘Battle of the Robots’ (robotics). We’re building a large festival site with surprise activities and decorations to give the students a really special experience. It’s our hope that when they go home they will be filled with new energy and inspiration.”

InspireU will conclude with a creative ThinkTank in which participants work in teams to solve a case provided by the Enschede rehabilitation centre Het Roessingh. The event then culminates in a big closing party on the festival site.

As an extra challenge, the language centre of the University of Twente will be offering a short English language course right before InspireU: Speak Up summer camp. From Wednesday the 8th of August till Sunday afternoon on the 12th of August, InspireU participants can improve their English and communication skills. This all-inclusive programme includes sleeping arrangements, all meals, evening activities, and a final group assignment. It is a great opportunity for participants to improve their English so that they can get the most out of InspireU.

Registration

High school students can register individually or in a group (e.g. of friends) or as a class of 3 to 10 people at once. Teaching staff can also register a group of students and are very welcome to attend InspireU. For more information and/or registration, go to the InspireU website. Students can register until the 1st of August. There are attractive discounts running for students who want to bring a friend (Inspire-a-friend tickets) and for groups (Golden tickets).