Who was this camp for?
The camp was designed for girls aged 13-16 who love solving different puzzles and challenges. Prior experience in cybersecurity or programming was not necessary. Participants learned about the field of cybersecurity through practical activities. We expected participants to actively contribute and be ready to learn new things.
What language was spoken at the camp?
The language of communication in the camp was English. Participants were expected to be able to communicate in English sufficiently well to make themselves understood. The camp used language immersion methods throughout.
Where was the camp?
The camp took place in the campus of the Kehtna Vocational School (Kooli 1, Kehtna).
Kehtna is a beautiful small village in Rapla County. It offers basic services as well as facilities for leisure – a shop, pharmacy, disc golf trail, low ropes adventure course, stadium, park, skatepark, etc.
What did participants do at the camp?
Through practical activities, the camp participants learned about the field of cyber security and solved exciting tasks. Participants learned:
- how to retrieve information from different filetypes (JPG, WAV, etc)
- how to use different operating systems (Linux, Windows, macOS);
- what attack vectors are used to detect different security weaknesses;
- how passwords are cracked;
- what information can be found by scanning the network;
- how to protect yourself in cyberspace;
- ethics – what is allowed in cyberspace and what is not allowed.
The camp ended with a CTF game.
Who were the Cybersecurity instructors at the camp?
Kehtna Vocational Education Centre teaches several IT specialties, and the teachers of the IT specialties were the instructors in the cybersecurity workshops. They are experienced teachers with diverse backgrounds in cybersecurity and have acquired different cybersecurity certificates. The same instructors have prepared Estonian teams for international cyber security competitions.
Were there any other activities included at the camp besides cyber security?
Yes, the camp schedule included a variety of active and fun group activities, a guided tour and a fun party at the end of the camp.
When did the camp start and when did it end?
On the first day of the camp, we welcomed participants from 10.00. The official opening of the camp was at 12.00.
The official end of the camp was on Saturday the 12th of August at 12.00. By then, the participants had packed their belongings, handed over the rooms and were ready to leave.
Who qualified as the supervisor of their country’s team of participants?
The supervisor accompanying the team could be any adult who speaks English and the mother tongue of their group. The supervisor doesn’t have to have any prior knowledge of cybersecurity.
What was expected of the supervisor?
We expect the supervisor to help get participants safely to the camp and back to their home country. During the camp we expect supervisors to stay at the campsite. Supervisors will be housed in the same building as participants, together with supervisors from other countries.
We expect supervisors to carry out the evening talking circles with their participants in their mother tongue so that participants can share their thoughts and experiences in the camp in a safe environment in the language that is most comfortable for them. And if for any reason participants happen to have any problems that they need help with language-wise, we hope that the supervisors will be ready to help.
What was the daily schedule?
Most of the days had the following schedule:
8.00 Wake-up and morning routines
9.00 - 9.30 Breakfast
10.00 – 13.00 Cybersecurity workshops
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch and siesta
14.30 – 17.30 Cybersecurity workshops
18.00 – 18.30 Dinner
19.00 – 21.00 Fun group activities
21.00 Evening snacks
21.30 – 23.00 Evening talking circles and peaceful activities
23.00 Start of the quiet hours
How about food and accommodation?
The daytime activities and catering of the camp took place in the main building of Kehtna Vocational Education Centre. Every day, three meals plus a snack in the evening were provided.
Accommodation was provided in the dormitory of the Vocational Education Centre, located 400 m from the main building. Participants were housed in rooms of 2-3 participants. Participants slept in beds and bedlinens were provided. There was one shower room per three rooms, and there were also lounge areas on each floor.
How to get to the campsite?
Since we were expecting participants from different regions, we did not arrange transport to and from the camp.
If you are arriving to Estonia by plane then your destination airport will be Tallinn Airport.
You can come to Kehtna using public transport.
There is a bus stop in Kehtna and you can search peatus.ee for possible ways to travel from Tallinn. The easiest option is to take a train to Rapla and a bus from Rapla to Kehtna.
Where to stay and what to do if we arrive earlier or need to leave later?
If you arrive one day earlier you can stay at hotels near the Tallinn Train Station – this way it would be easy to board the train in the morning. The train station is also right next to Tallinn Old Town, Telliskivi and Kalamaja, so if you have time you can go for a walk and sightseeing tour.
Information about sightseeing.
Hotels near the train station:
- GoHotel Shnelli, 150 m walk from train station
- Economy Hotel, 150 m walk from train station
- City Hotel Tallinn by Unique Hotels, 850m walk from train station
You can find plenty of options from Booking.com, Airbnb and from other international sites.
To get around in Tallinn you can use Bolt (taxi, scooters and cars), Uber (taxi), Citybee (cars) and you’ll find taxi and bus stop right outside the airport as well.
Is there anything else we should know about traveling to Estonia?
In Estonia the official currency is the Euro. In most places you can pay with a credit card, debit card or contactless payment.
Estonia is in the EEST time zone, which is 1 h ahead of CEST (most of the Europe).
The Estonian national language is Estonian. Most people under 50 years also speak English and most people over 40 speak Russian.
During the camp week the days are long – sunrise is around quarter past 5 and sunset around half past 9. And twilight is relatively long compared to most of Europe.
Weather in August is usually warm. Temperatures during the daytime are usually between 20-25o Celsius and at night temperatures are around 10o-150 Celsius. Rain can also occur. It is a good idea to check the weather forecast prior to traveling.
More information about Estonia can be found from Visit Estonia and Wikipedia.
How much did the camp cost?
The camp was free for the participants and supervisors – accommodation, food, workshops and all other activities. However, we could not cover costs related to traveling to and from the camp.
The camp was cofounded by The European Union and The European Cybersecurity Competence Centre.
For more Information
Contact NCC-EE coordinator Tiina Pau.
[email protected]
+372 58504654
If your Member State is organizing similar cybersecurity related camps or activities for youth, especially for young women, we at NCC-EE would be interested to collaborate.
Last updated: 04.10.2023
