The Campfire Experience
Written by Oliver Potter | 2026-03-01
In February 2026, I organised Campfire Birmingham as a Hack Club satellite event at Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy through Refract Foundation. Around 20 attendees and a team of 6 volunteers came together for a 12-hour hackathon, open to students aged 13–18 across the West Midlands. The theme for the day was “beneath the surface”.
This event was the result of several months of preparation. I spent a significant amount of time securing the venue, coordinating with partners and sponsors, planning logistics, and developing the structure of the day. Alongside this, there was marketing and outreach to schools and students to ensure the event would reach the right audience and have strong attendance.
At points during the build-up, there was uncertainty about whether everything would come together. However, seeing the room reach capacity on the day made the effort worthwhile.
The event marked many participants’ first hackathon experience. Young people aged 13–18 from across the region spent the day developing games, experimenting with new tools, and shipping projects they were proud of. For many, these were their first lines of code.
Throughout the day, they collaborated in teams, attended workshops, and rapidly developed ideas into playable games. The atmosphere was highly supportive, with participants learning from each other as much as from structured sessions.
As I reflected later, one of the most striking outcomes was how quickly participants adapted to building under pressure. Ethan Hawksley, one of the event winners, described his experience as:
“Over a short period, I had helped transform a group of enthusiastic Year 12 students into confident programmers capable of breaking down and solving complex problems.”
That shift from uncertainty to capability was visible across the room.
By the end of the day, 6 games were successfully shipped:
- Cat-Fishing Frenzy — Ethan, Ryley & Sam
- A Gneiss Expedition — Shàven, Adam & Amelia
- Curiosity Calls — Jacob & Robert
- Limbo — Josh, Archie & Fin
- HarryJumpz — Harridham & Neil
- Rage Quitting Football — Gurjot
Each project reflected a different interpretation of the theme and demonstrated a wide range of creativity, from narrative-driven experiences to fast-paced gameplay concepts.
One of the strongest outcomes was Cat-Fishing Frenzy, which went on to win the event. In Ethan’s own words:
“We began the event by first creating the assets we would need. After not too long, we had created the skeleton of a fully functional game.”
After months of planning, the event only became possible through the support of many individuals and organisations. Campfire Birmingham would not have happened without:
- Alfie, UK Regional Manager at Hack Club
- Owhonda, Dipesh and Boma — mentors from Cyber Heroez CIC
- Paramveer from HackUK and Preston — co-hosts and mentors who gave their time on the day
- Yubico — for donating YubiKeys and supporting cybersecurity education for attendees
- Mrs James and Mr Lovatt from Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy — for providing a welcoming venue and continued support
- Hack Club and Open Sauce — for creating the Campfire initiative in the first place
Campfire Birmingham demonstrated what can be achieved when young people are given time, tools, and trust. In just 12 hours, complete beginners and experienced coders alike were able to collaborate, learn new skills, and bring ideas to life.
The experience reinforced a core principle of Refract’s work: opportunity and access matter as much as ability. When those are in place, young people consistently exceed expectations.