These are the students’ learning goals for the club:

— Collaborate Through Teamwork - Our students are encouraged to work together and collaborate towards a common goal! Students may mine for resources and share their loot or tag-team to defeat enemies in a dungeon.
— Learn Conflict Resolution Skills - As every student is different, they may encounter differing opinions or wants and needs from another student. Our counselors are available to help facilitate students in finding a common ground during times of emotional stress.
— Build Character and Confidence - Like the real world, social situations can be difficult to manage in certain situations. Our aim for this club is to build students’ confidence and enable students to communicate in a group setting. They will also learn how to self-reflect and take in consideration of theirs and others’ needs.
— Set and Achieve Personal Goals - It’s simple to just dream but it’s harder to achieve! In this club, kids will set daily goals and learn how to take the necessary steps to achieve them. Students are also motivated through social reinforcement by their peers and counselor!  

Activities:

— Complete quests and challenges to advance through character ranks.
— Mine for resources and farm for the team.
— Help guide newcomers and make friends.
— Grind through dungeons and defeat mob bosses.
— Build settlement and houses for the main village.
— Create and manage a shop.
— Participate in setting community goals and guidelines

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn from one another. Our programs are designed based on the extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/ 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, and sports performance, and design and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.  

Learn more about our organization at:  https://connectedcamps.com/about